Day 128 - 24 May 95 - Page 25
1 Regulations, 1989, which is dated 5th May 1991. The third
2 paragraph says: "In order to set up a service history
3 manual each item of equipment will require a identification
4 number ...". Then it carries on. Can I just clarify, so
5 prior to this there was no repair history kept on equipment
6 in the stores?
7 A. No, there was no log. It would just be work sheets and
8 invoice sheets, copy invoice sheets and store sheets.
9
10 Q. This manual was set up in order to comply with the law?
11 A. From memory, the Electricity at Work Regulations do not
12 say that you need to keep a log like this one, but it is
13 considered best practice by the Health and Safety
14 Executive, if you have portable equipment, that you keep a
15 log of it and it is regularly checked.
16
17 Q. Is that something that would provide you with the defence
18 of due diligence if something went wrong and you could show
19 them the service history manual?
20 A. Well, due diligence does not apply to health and
21 safety, but it is certainly something we felt -- we got to
22 the stage with the number of stores we had -- that it was
23 worthwhile setting up, so that we could build up a history
24 of equipment.
25
26 Q. If you turn to page 766, which is a memo to Restaurant
27 Managers from Margaret Harmer, dated 29th June 1992. She
28 is advising Restaurant Managers to set up a health and
29 safety file to hold relevant information. So, prior to
30 that date, there is a similar thing, there was no such file
31 for health and safety information?
32 A. There was not a specific file for health and safety,
33 but the same information would have been kept in a general
34 file they had.
35
36 Q. Mixed in with all the other kinds of memos on everything
37 else?
38 A. Yes, we felt it was time they were held separately.
39
40 Q. Can I just ask about page 768, which is a memo from Frank
41 Frost to all Store Managers, except Scotland, on electrical
42 testing programme portable equipment, which is dated
43 11th December 1991, why is it except Scotland?
44 A. Because at that time Frank was still to agree with the
45 Operations Manager in Scotland exactly how the programme
46 would go ahead there.
47
48 Q. Why would that be any different to England?
49 A. Scotland is run separately from the Northern region
50 where Frank is. It was run almost as a separate market, so
51 Craig Aston, who was the Ops Manager there, Frank needed to
52 go and talk to him about which contractors to use, for
53 example.
54
55 Q. How long did that take?
56 A. I cannot remember exactly when it was set up, but it
57 certainly was set up after this. It has been set up and
58 was set up shortly after this.
59
60 Q. Why had those discussions not been going on previously?
