Day 131 - 06 Jun 95 - Page 51

     
     1        which the kind of people that work at McDonald's may have
     2        available to them, rather than work at McDonald's, are
     3        there any environments which you can think of with the same
     4        level of potential risk and hazard as kitchen work?
     5        A.  I am sorry.  You would have to be more specific.  I am
     6        not sure what you mean by "the sort of environments that
     7        people who would work at McDonald's might have available to
     8        them".  I cannot speculate across the range of industries.
     9        Have you any specific point in mind?  Labouring on a
    10        building site, for instance, would be a damn site more
    11        dangerous; I can tell you that.
    12
    13   Q.   That is a well known hazard?
    14        A.  Absolutely, yes.
    15
    16   Q.   And kitchen work is -----
    17        A.  No.  It is of an entirely different nature.  There are
    18        over 150 people killed a year on building sites in this
    19        country.  It is entirely different.
    20
    Q.   But in terms of known hazardous work, construction is
    22        certainly one?
    23        A.  Yes.
    24
    25   Q.   And kitchen work is another, although it does not apply in
    26        terms of number of deaths; it is known as hazardous work?
    27        A.  It is totally -- you cannot compare them.  You have to
    28        begin to quantify what you mean by "hazard".  Certainly, in
    29        kitchens you get a lot of minor accidents, there is no
    30        doubt about that, but you do not get the major ones to the
    31        extent that you do in some other industries.  But you would
    32        have to be specific on the types of industry with which you
    33        wish to compare it, and then certainly I can give you a
    34        comment.  But if you are talking about unskilled labour,
    35        then it could cover absolutely anything.
    36
    37   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Can I approach it from another way?  Can you,
    38        with your general knowledge about accident rates such as it
    39        is, help by giving another industry or category of work
    40        which might fall in the 12 to 30 (or thereabouts) per 1,000
         RIDDOR accidents per annum?
    42        A.  I am sorry, my Lord.  I would have to consult the HSE
    43        figures.  I would not like to mislead the court.  I could
    44        find out that happened to be outside those levels.   I do
    45        apologise.  Certainly, the food industry has the highest
    46        reportable accident rate of the manufacturing industries.
    47        So other manufacturing industries would be expected to be
    48        lower in terms of reportable accidents actually reported to
    49        the authorities.  There may, however, be a higher severity
    50        ratio. 
    51 
    52   Q.   That is the next question I want to ask you.  If it were 
    53        the situation that for about every eight RIDDOR accidents
    54        at McDonald's there were about 100 accidents, some of which
    55        may be very minor, but where the person who suffered it has
    56        thought it worth noting in the accident book ---
    57        A.  Yes.
    58
    59   Q.   -- if that were the sort of ratio, about one to 12, or
    60        something of that kind -----