Day 127 - 23 May 95 - Page 61
1
2 Q. If it was something serious, then the other procedures
3 would in any case fall into place?
4 A. That is right, because they are telling the manager
5 anyway.
6
7 Q. I think one final document for the moment on this topic.
8
9 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I notice, as a matter of interest, that one
10 of her accidents was an electrical shock from a filtering
11 machine.
12 A. Yes.
13
14 MR. RAMPTON: Can you turn, please, Mrs. Barnes, back towards
15 the end of the file 57R dated 24th February 1992,
16 remembering that Mark Hopkins' was on 12th October 1992?
17 It apparently comes from you. Do you recognise the font?
18 A. Yes, again it is typed upon my own PC.
19
20 Q. Its subject is: "Investigation on Accidents". It is
21 addressed to all store managers and whole lot of other
22 people, including licensees and field consultants. Do you
23 see that?
24 A. Yes.
25
26 Q. Why would it go to Sid Nicholson and Valerie Leigh?
27 A. Valerie Leigh is our Insurance Manager and one of the
28 main reasons why we are asked for information on accidents
29 is if they should go to insurance claims.
30
31 Q. What about Sid Nicholson?
32 A. Sid, at this time anyway, used to get involved in any
33 legal cases. Again, if there were civil or criminal
34 proceedings we would be asked to provide information from
35 the accident.
36
37 Q. I suppose it may be obvious, Mrs. Barnes, but when these
38 investigation reports are done if there is anything that
39 might result in either a prosecution or a suit for damages
40 under the civil law, the investigation would help to put
41 the lawyers in the picture?
42 A. That is correct, yes.
43
44 Q. You have written in the main part of the text: "It is now
45 Company policy to formally investigate all accidents which
46 by law we have to report to EHOs." Those are RIDDORS?
47 A. Yes, that is right.
48
49 Q. Why do you use the word "now"? Had it not been the
50 practice before this date?
51 A. Before this date we did not investigate all of them.
52 They were certainly investigated by the security department
53 on a reasonably regular basis, but I felt we got to the
54 stage where we would learn a lot from investigating them
55 all and that the operations people, because they have
56 specific responsibility for their own restaurants, should
57 be the ones that do the investigation.
58
59 Q. So is this, as it were, putting a formality assisted on
60 what to some extent had been happening already?
