Day 131 - 06 Jun 95 - Page 17
1
2 Q. You mean it is effective in dry conditions, but may not be
3 effective in wet?
4 A. Maybe so, yes. That is why, again, I say there is no
5 such thing as ideal footwear. It is very difficult.
6
7 Q. What form of sole material do you think would be most
8 effective against wet conditions?
9 A. It is probably going to be a composite sole -- because
10 leather certainly would not be right for all
11 circumstances -- a composite sole, I would have thought,
12 which has a rubberised texture, but not rubber as such; the
13 sort of thing that you get with Dr. Marten's, or something
14 along those lines. It is probably the best compromise.
15
16 Q. What about felt or rope?
17 A. Felt or rope is used for things like deck shoes, if you
18 are yachting. The problem is, of course, it just absorbs
19 water, which is OK if you sailing but not if you walking
20 around a kitchen.
21
22 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Is there anything better than a Dr. Marten's
23 sole?
24 A. Not as far as I am aware, my Lord. Again, various
25 things are tried in various situations.
26
27 MR. RAMPTON: Second question: does the material from which the
28 upper part of the shoe is made matter, from a health and
29 safety point?
30 A. Yes, it does, because one of the risks, when one is
31 working in a kitchen, obviously, is of spilling things on
32 your foot, particularly hot liquids. Consequently, you
33 need the upper to be continuous and leather, or something
34 similar, and that which will have good resistance to any
35 liquids spilt upon it.
36
37 Q. Finally, on shoes, Mr. Purslow: we have heard that
38 McDonald's do not buy special shoes for their employees,
39 though we also know that they do supply protective clothing
40 for certain operations. Do you know any company in the
41 food manufacturing or catering industry which buys special
42 shoes for its operatives?
43 A. Not for non-slip purposes. Certainly, engineers in the
44 food manufacturing industry are supplied with toe
45 protectors, because of impact of bits of machinery on
46 them. But in terms of people carrying out routine
47 functions, they just specify that suitable shoes must be
48 worn, under normal circumstances; and that is the norm in
49 the industry. Occasionally, you will find a company that
50 decides to supply chefs with clogs, or something along
51 those lines, but that is a different decision; that is
52 comfort considerations.
53
54 Q. That is comfort?
55 A. That is comfort consideration, as much as anything
56 else. Some chefs will tell you that they prefer to wear
57 clogs.
58
59 Q. McDonald's enjoin, in the Crew Handbook -- I expect you
60 have seen it ---
