Day 086 - 09 Feb 95 - Page 88
1 safety is concerned. Your M & R account is no
2 protection." Do you see that?
3 A. I see that, yes.
4
5 Q. So far as you are concerned, the position you hold within
6 your company and your experience within it, is that
7 statement true or false?
8 A. I think that statement is true.
9
10 MR. MORRIS: That actually refers to the previous sentence about
11 who is liable in case of an accident.
12
13 MR. RAMPTON: I do not follow that I am afraid. Let me read the
14 next sentence, if I may, Mr. Atherton. "Electricity kills
15 and with 30,000 plus employees the odds of a fatal accident
16 are high. Please do not let one of your people be the
17 first." As it happens that is a tragic irony, that
18 sentence, because not a month away, a bit more than a
19 month, Mr. Hopkins was the first. Ask I can ask you, so
20 for as you are concerned do the sentiments which appear to
21 underlie that paragraph represent the company's attitude on
22 this question or not?
23 A. Yes, they do.
24
25 Q. Finally on he topic of electricity, please turn over the
26 page to 780. The accident Mr. Morris informed you, and
27 there is no disagreement about is, was the day before this
28 memorandum, 13th October 1992, and it is in fact signed by
29 Mr. Paul Preston, the President and Chief Executive Officer
30 of McDonald's UK. I only want to ask you this. It says
31 "To all restaurant management". Can you help us with what
32 that phrase means "all restaurant management"?
33 A. It will go to every person who is in a management
34 position within the restaurant.
35
36 Q. Then we see at the bottom of the page a long list of other
37 categories of person to whom this was copied?
38 A. Yes.
39
40 Q. Finally, Mr. Atherton, please turn to page 862. It is in
41 tab 55.
42 A. I have got it.
43
44 Q. It is the document which is the report which was produced
45 by the Accident Prevention Advisory Unit, do you remember?
46 A. Yes, I remember it.
47
48 Q. In paragraph 5.3 in the middle of hat page we find this:
49 "However, there was no clear direction as to the means by
50 which further improvements were to be achieved. This may
51 be due to the absence of a mission statement containing a
52 commitment towards health and safety." We know that this
53 document appeared in August 1992 because it says so and
54 that it seems to have been based on work done between
55 December 1991 and April 1992. Remembering that reference
56 to the absence of a mission statement I would like you to
57 look at another document on page 737 which is in tab 52.
58 A. I have got it.
59
60 Q. My Lord, it is a sideways document headed "McDonald's
