Day 131 - 06 Jun 95 - Page 43

     
     1        food safety work in other companies, although my profile is
     2        essentially health and safety.  But, as I say, I do,
     3        actually, more monitoring for some of the other
     4        organisations; in other words, more actual inspection work.
     5
     6   Q.   Apart from those things, it is basically the same kind of
     7        role?
     8        A.  Indeed, yes.
     9
    10   Q.   So whether you are retained or not, effectively, you are
    11        working with McDonald's in that same way?
    12        A.  Yes, indeed.
    13
    14   Q.   Just one question, while I am passing through that period:
    15        were you asked to advise about the Preston food poisoning
    16        incident?
    17        A.  No, I was not.
    18
    19   Q.   McDonald's food poisoning incident -- no?
    20        A.  I am aware of the situation you mean, but I was not
         consulted, no.
    22
    23   Q.   What was the first thing that you were asked to do when you
    24        were engaged by McDonald's?  We are talking about the 1990s
    25        now.
    26        A.  You will have to forgive me, because without specific
    27        documents it would be difficult to say.  As I recall, the
    28        first input that Jill required was on COSHH assessment
    29        which then was new to all and sundry, and she wanted
    30        someone from outside to help her set up the systems and
    31        just see if the system was equivalent to the best practice
    32        in the industry.
    33
    34   Q.   So that would be COSHH assessment of customs?
    35        A.  Yes, that is right.  Control of Substances Hazardous to
    36        Health -- forgive me for using the acronym.
    37
    38   Q.   When was the first time you were asked to do a more general
    39        overview of safety procedures, or whatever?
    40        A.  Well, having sort of made an input on that, I then got
         involved in training, and Jill began to sort of seek my
    42        advice fairly regularly.  It would be difficult to be more
    43        specific than that, to be perfectly honest.
    44
    45   Q.   So you began to kind of give general advice as and when was
    46        needed?
    47        A.  Well, it tends to happen with consultancy work that if
    48        you get involved with a company and the company feel that
    49        they get the right advice from you and like the style of
    50        what you do, they then begin to use you more, which is what 
    51        happened in those circumstances. 
    52 
    53   Q.   What I want to know, if you can cast your mind back, even
    54        if you cannot remember the date, the kind of period in
    55        terms of McDonald's development of safety -----
    56
    57   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Are you asking when ---
    58
    59   MR. MORRIS:  When you effectively -----
    60