Day 111 - 30 Mar 95 - Page 30
1 it without using too technical terms -- and severes the
2 main blood vessels that go into the animal's head and
3 bleeds the animal in this way.
4
5 There is obviously a high risk contamination with this
6 procedure. He hardly ever sterlises his knife because, to
7 sterilise his knife, he would have had to move all the way
8 to the apron wash and steriliser which is situated on the
9 wall of the abattoir further down on the slaughter line.
10 To get there, he would have had to pass through several
11 animals that were hanging from their back legs on the bow
12 of the blood trough, as it says there. It is very
13 difficult for him to do.
14
15 So, there was inadequate equipment for sterilisation there
16 as well, because the man who was bleeding was virtually
17 incapable of using that steriliser that was provided for
18 him.
19
20 MR. MORRIS: I do not know if it is that important -- but which
21 steriliser is the one he would have had access?
22 A. The one on the back wall of the abattoir.
23
24 Q. The one just below the first blood trough?
25 A. Yes.
26
27 Q. To the left of the head removal area?
28 A. Yes, that is right. The next area further along on the
29 slaughter line would be the dehiding area. Now, we are
30 talking about the hide puller, as it is called, the hide
31 puller is -----
32
33 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Can you tell me again, just behind him, as he
34 stands there, is apron wash steriliser and hand wash, are
35 those the ones you are talking about being eight feet up?
36 A. These are the ones, where it says "legging and transfer
37 platform", those sterilisers, apron washes, are higher,
38 yes.
39
40 MR. MORRIS: For the people on that platform -----
41 A. Not the apron wash, but the hand wash and steriliser
42 are because the apron wash is down on the floor but there
43 is no steriliser attached to that. The hand wash and the
44 steriliser are for the legging and transform platform
45 people, people who work up there.
46
47 MR. JUSTICE BELL: You say there are too high for him to use?
48 A. Yes.
49
50 Q. What about the horn cutter steriliser, that is high up as
51 well is it?
52 A. No, that is on the floor, that is for the horn cutter,
53 but he would have to move quite a considerable distance to
54 get there.
55
56 Q. So he could use either that one or one of the sterilisers
57 on the back door. He could use the horn cutter steriliser
58 but he would still have to walk across the line?
59 A. Yes, it would be impossible for him to do that task and
60 carry on with his work. We have to consider that this is a
