Day 130 - 26 May 95 - Page 71
1 even imagined in his wildest dreams that we would go off
2 and do that. We were doing it off our own bat. We did it
3 as expediently as we could. Yes -- we did it as
4 expediently as we could and, yes, we wanted to make sure
5 that we had got the right contractors and, no, that we were
6 not going to waste money, certainly, but it was done as
7 quickly as we felt practical.
8
9 Q. You were warned that if such devices were not fitted there
10 was a danger of risk to employees?
11 A. Not at all. The RCDs that we put in throughout the
12 premises was not included all in Shirkie's recommendations,
13 but that deferred prohibition notice you referred to
14 earlier was just in respect of the filtering machine in the
15 back room. Remember, even there -- are you going to listen
16 to me?
17
18 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, I do really think that when the witness
19 is giving an answer the Defendants should not chat amongst
20 themselves. It is extreme bad manners and also very
21 distracting for the witness.
22
23 MS. STEEL: I was actually listening to that answer, and I think
24 Mr. Rampton should shut up.
25
26 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Try to talk or discuss something with
27 Mr. Morris after the answer is finished, because even
28 though you may be listening, it is natural for the witness
29 to stop because the witness cannot be sure that you are
30 hearing the answer.
31
32 MS. STEEL: I was not discussing anything with Mr. Morris. He
33 was saying something to me. I was actually listening to
34 the witness.
35
36 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Just bear it in mind.
37
38 THE WITNESS: As I was saying, the deferred prohibition notice
39 was just purely on RCDs in the back room. Remember, he
40 gave us two weeks there to do it. His perception of risk
41 was such that he did not demand it straightaway. He never
42 referred at all to the rest of the premises. That we did
43 off our own bat and we did it in a structured way, in a way
44 that we were happy with. There was no good rushing into it
45 if we were not going to do it properly.
46
47 MR. MORRIS: The memo, the prohibition notice referred to all
48 portable electrical appliances in the wash-up area?
49 A. Yes, well, that was the only one.
50
51 Q. There are no other electrical appliances in the wash-up
52 area?
53 A. No.
54
55 MS. STEEL: But there would be equal risk from equipment, such
56 as the bun toaster, which I think we have seen in an
57 accident book fell on the floor -- can fall on the floor?
58 There was something that fell on the floor and got damaged
59 or something?
60 A. How do you equate that to equal risk of using a piece
