Day 130 - 26 May 95 - Page 57
1 the crew meetings was the only system, apart rap sessions,
2 that was nationwide.
3
4 Q. It said that was qualified "If used to build general
5 awareness, review practices or procedures operating in the
6 store, and encourage improvements". So that was no
7 commendation of the crew meetings in reality, was it? It
8 just said they were the best available forum, if used
9 properly?
10 A. Well, he did go on to say later on about safety
11 circles, so I assume.
12
13 Q. There were no safety circles?
14 A. I assume he felt that was a more appropriate way to go
15 forward, which is the one we adopted.
16
17 Q. Other companies have safety representatives with power to
18 halt Operations, do they not, amongst the employees?
19 A. If you are talking about the safety representatives
20 under the appropriate legislation, yes, I believe they do.
21
22 Q. Yes, and unionised companies, with trade unions, may have a
23 union health and safety committee also would, they not?
24 A. They may do, yes, but, as I say, we have the safety
25 circles in place. We also have one of the management team
26 designated as safety co-ordinator. One of the things that
27 we specify is that some of the experienced crew, the ones
28 this have more sway with other crew members, who are the
29 roll models, are part of safety circle.
30
31 Q. The safety circles discuss the safety matters, do they?
32 A. They have specific things that we advise that they
33 discuss. For example, any action agreed at the previous
34 meeting, accident trends in the restaurants, whether
35 Environmental Health Officers have been in, safety audit
36 results, any particular trends on parts of the safety
37 audit.
38
39 Q. Discussion groups, basically?
40 A. No, the idea is they make recommendations and sanction
41 actions and that they follow up.
42
43 Q. They put forward proposals to management?
44 A. They follow up at the next meeting to make sure those
45 have been put in place. There is also a route they can go
46 through to senior operations management in that region, and
47 make a specific recommendation to them if they feel they
48 are not getting support at restaurant level.
49
50 Q. But the reality is, is it not, that that is no substitute
51 for having employees with the power to say "We are not
52 touching that machine, we are not going to work for one
53 other minute until you get the fire sprinklers working, or
54 whatever or until this floor tiling which has is too
55 slippery gets immediately replaced, or whatever. You have
56 not got that, have you?
57 A. Well, we certainly do not have official safety
58 representatives, if you are saying that is a power they
59 have.
60
