Day 128 - 24 May 95 - Page 47


     
     1        A.  Security, Equipment, yes.
     2
     3   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I think I omitted to tell you that if you
     4        want to sit down at any stage, just pull your chair up.
     5
     6   MS. STEEL:   You said or implied yesterday that it would not be
     7        practical to get data from all the stores about all the
     8        accidents that were taking place?
     9        A.  I think it would be very difficult at the moment.
    10        I suppose my ideal long term would be that we could have
    11        our own accident book, if you like, on a network computer
    12        system so that the information could be put straight in at
    13        store level and we could gather it nationally.
    14
    15        There is no doubt that we would learn more if we could
    16        gather all of the information.  It is just a case of
    17        whether that increase in learning that you would get is
    18        worth the effort that would be needed.  At the moment, to
    19        do it in a manual way, I just feel that the effort would
    20        outweigh the benefits.  If there was a simple way, which
    21        I am sure long term with technical improvements there will
    22        be, then, yes, of course, we would gather them all.
    23
    24   Q.   It would be quite simple, would it not, to do it by
    25        computer?
    26        A.  If the technology existed -- we are not that far off.
    27
    28   Q.   Does the Head Office or the regional offices not get data,
    29        regular data, from the stores every day about sales and
    30        other matters such as that?
    31        A.  There is a sales data network by what we call the ISP
    32        which is the in-store process.  There are very limited
    33        things we can put on there at the moment, although it is
    34        starting to be used for more things.  That is why I say
    35        eventually I am sure that all sorts of recording can be put
    36        on there and shared nationally.  It is just not possible at
    37        the moment with the capacity of the system.
    38
    39   Q.   All stores have a computer, have they not?
    40        A.  I am not totally certain whether every store is on the
    41        in-store processing system; again it is something that is
    42        quite new to us.
    43
    44   Q.   On the limited space that you say is available on the
    45        in-store process network, or whatever it is called, the
    46        Company feels it is more important to get sales data than
    47        to monitor accidents?
    48        A.  Certainly, the sales data is what it is used for at the
    49        moment and that is what its purpose was for setting up.
    50        Yes, we will be able to use it for other things and, you 
    51        know, the accident information is one of them. 
    52 
    53   Q.   If an electric bun toaster in one of the stores was
    54        consistently giving electric shocks, what action would the
    55        Company take, if any?
    56        A.  Well, after the first electric shock, it would be
    57        visited by a technician and repaired, hopefully.  This
    58        should not get to a stage where we get consistent shocks
    59        off one particular piece of equipment.
    60

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