Day 131 - 06 Jun 95 - Page 28
1 their attitude to the health and safety of their employees?
2 A. It is a very positive one. I have sat in and --
3 remember, the sort of training days I have with their
4 senior management are very much open sessions, because that
5 is the style that I present them in; and I have had nothing
6 but a positive feedback during those sessions.
7
8 Q. The other thing about the 23 recommendations implemented in
9 their totality within 18 months was that Mrs. Barnes seemed
10 quite proud of that. Mr. Purslow, do you think she is
11 entitled to be proud of it or not?
12 A. I do. If you talk about formalising systems and
13 getting everything up and running, and so on, we normally
14 look at a three to five-year programme within industry in
15 health and safety terms. If McDonald's implemented it
16 within 18 months, that, I think, is a creditable
17 performance and, if I may say, it reflects to a certain
18 extent the way that McDonald's is structured in any case;
19 in other words, because they are very systems-orientated
20 and their intent is to make the same product in the same
21 way every time, if you can feed health and safety into that
22 structure, you can very quickly make progress, which has
23 been the case.
24
25 Q. One other thing you will have noticed about that report is
26 that it does have some paragraphs which might be thought
27 critical of what McDonald's call "hustle", in this sense,
28 I think, that it led to people running in some restaurants
29 and, to some extent, health and safety being sacrificed for
30 speed of sales?
31 A. Yes.
32
33 Q. Are you familiar with the term "hustle" as it is used or
34 has been used in McDonald's?
35 A. I am. In fact, I have discussed it on occasions in
36 just the sort of sessions I was talking about.
37
38 Q. Leaving aside human error, disobedience, whatever you like
39 to call it, over-enthusiasm, as a general proposition, what
40 do you make of "hustle" from a health and safety point of
41 view?
42 A. "Hustle" from a health and safety point of view, the
43 intent within McDonald's, as I understand it, is the speedy
44 and efficient service of their customers. That, as far as
45 I am concerned, does not run counter to health and safety.
46 If it led to people running about, then it would do. But
47 I am not aware of that being the case.
48
49 Q. Have you seen the video recording -- I will not call it --
50 well, it is a film, but it is one, as far as I know, that
51 has not been broadcast -- called "One Every Mile"?
52 A. Yes, I have.
53
54 Q. You have watched it, have you?
55 A. Yes.
56
57 Q. It is, we are told, a film of two busy restaurants: The
58 Strand in London and Croydon in South London?
59 A. Yes, indeed.
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