Spotlight: he’s lovin’ it
Food and drink is the UK’s biggest manufacturing sector.
In the first of a series of Spotlight features focusing on food and
drink businesses, Connect talks to Mark Hathaway, Health and Safety
Manager at McDonald’s.
McDonald’s is the world’s largest chain of quick service
restaurants. With almost 1,200 restaurants in the UK, Mark Hathaway
has an important role making sure that health and safety standards
are as high as they can be.
“Anyone who trades on the high street with a
well known brand is expected to get it right and I think that’s a
fair expectation. In the UK we have over 70,000 employees and we
serve around 2 million customers every day, so we simply have to
get safety right.”
Mark has been working for McDonald’s for a quarter of a century
and moved from restaurant management into a newly formed safety
department in 1993.
“It was a particularly busy time for health
and safety and with only one person covering it across the whole
country at that time, it was vital to bring more people in.
“We’ve now got 11 people in the team,
covering health and safety and food safety. We have six hygiene and
safety advisors around the country. They advise the restaurants
directly on health and safety and food safety issues, while in the
head office, we provide specialist advice and check that the right
systems and procedures are all in place.”
It’s no surprise to hear that slips, trips and falls are the
accidents McDonald’s is most regularly faced with.
“In a kitchen environment, this type of
accident is almost inevitable. We’re constantly looking for ways to
improve but one challenge we have is that our restaurants are open
very long hours - many trade 24 hours - so we can’t just close the
kitchen and clean. The cleaning is mostly done on the job, so when
people are working around hot equipment it’s vital hazards aren’t
created.”
Three years ago McDonald’s changed its floor cleaning regime and
was rewarded with a drop in accident rates.
“We got the rates down by over 30 per cent.
The new system was a result of getting involved with the HSE and
taking its advice on slips, trips and falls in a catering
environment.”
McDonald’s rarely compares itself with other restaurant chains
when it comes to determining good accident rates as they can be
very different.
“We communicate with other restaurant chains
but it would be unrealistic to make a direct comparison, so we
usually look to the rates the HSE produces and this shows that
we’re doing well.
“With accident rates you can’t always be sure
that the reporting is being completed correctly either. RIDDOR
shows around 30 per cent of incidents are reported, but with the
systems we have in place ours should be a lot higher. The managers
get trained in accident reporting so they’re aware of what needs to
be done.”
McDonald’s restaurants are currently split into two groups –
company owned and franchised.
“When giving health and safety advice to the
two groups we have to take a slightly different approach. With our
own restaurants we can give them straight direction, but with
franchised restaurants they’re business people and employers in
their own right so we act more as consultants. But they still have
to work to the same policies and procedures.”
In recent years the number of franchised restaurants has
increased significantly and this is likely to continue.
“It’s important to communicate health and
safety in a way that's simple, effective and relevant to each
franchisee’s business. When giving advice, we need to be clear
about what is a legal requirement, what is company policy, and what
may be considered good practice. We can’t just tell them what they
must do – we have to tell them what the benefits are to their
employees and to their business.”
McDonald’s is a self-auditing organisation. In every restaurant
there’s a safety checklist that has to be completed on a quarterly
basis. Additionally, each restaurant has a business consultant who
completes the safety checklist annually. The safety team then
carries out spot checks to make sure that auditing is being done
properly.
The head office has its own 'McDonald’s University' where
managers are trained.
“Having this facility means managers are
constantly updated. Our other employees’ training starts on their
first day with a welcome meeting in the restaurant and an online
induction program guiding them through what they need to know about
health and safety.
“Our staff turnover isn’t as high as people
seem to think, but the fact that we employ a lot of young people
and students is built into our training systems. McDonald’s is
often their first job, and our training sees them through their
time at McDonald’s and beyond."
Mark adds:
“In my 25 years of working for McDonald’s I
haven’t got bored because every day brings a different challenge.
Every now and then we get together with the other teams from around
the world. At the last meeting I was recognised with an award for
outstanding achievement. It’s nice to have that kind of
recognition, particularly knowing that they often look to the UK in
terms of leading health and safety.”
Factfile:
- Mark has been a member of IOSH for six years and is a member of
the Midland Branch and Retail and Distribution Group
- McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in the US in 1940, with
the first in the UK opening in 1974
- It has over 31,000 restaurants in 118 countries
Links:
McDonald's
IOSH event:
IOSH Food and Drink Conference
60 second interview
Fiona Riley, Health and Safety Manager at
Bolton School, talks to Connect
What’s one of the most memorable experiences you’ve had in your
health and safety career?
My most memorable experience was being
involved in a project which saw pupils make a 20-tonne concrete
boat. Watching it being loaded up onto a flat-bed trailer and
whisked off to be launched was very satisfying indeed.
What do you get out of your job?
The sheer diversity of my role is something I
enjoy. We’re not only a school but a business because we own a
coach company, so I get a lot of satisfaction from being involved
in both the school and the business.
What issues can you see coming up in the education
sector?
We have more than 3,000 people on site,
including staff and pupils, so pedestrian safety is a key issue for
us. Because of the age of the building here, fire safety is also an
issue.
Would you like to see any legislative changes?
Nothing specific at the moment, although I
have been involved in CDM because we’re in the process of building
but, no, nothing specific at the moment.
The safety of children on school trips has been under the
spotlight recently after a number of tragic accidents. What
safeguards does your school have in place to help protect children
on these trips?
Our planning process is very comprehensive.
We’ve had trips to Kilimanjaro in the past as well as using a
residential centre in Patterdale. The school recognises the need to
balance the learning experience in a safe way so planning
everything is of utmost importance.
Do you want to be considered for a 60 Second Interview?
Contact the e-Editor.