UNIT 8
AN ACCIDENT IN THE FACTORY
In the best-organised businesses accidents sometimes happen. Today's accident happened to a worker who had been using a grinding machine in the fitters' shop. Harper & Grant Ltd., like most engineering companies, have a fitters' shop where routine maintenance repairs and modifications are done on machine tools. Obviously it is in the management's interest to do everything they can to prevent accidents, but it is not always possible to foresee people's actions, in other words 'the human factor'. Two people react to the accident in a particular way.
The first is Peter Wiles, who hopes that the accident is not fatal (a fatal accident is when someone is killed). But he is very concerned in case his company is sued for negligence.
Negligence is lack of proper care, in this case, in the provision of safety measures, or safeguards, for the men working the machines. There are various forms of negligence for which a person or firm can be sued for compensation in a civil court action. In the event of an accident, the injured person could sue for damages which he alleges are caused by the negligence of his employer. If it is also found that statutory regulations, i.e. the laws regarding health and safety, have been broken the local factory inspector (a government employee) might institute criminal proceedings against the company. If the company can be proved to have been negligent, Reg Arnold, the man who was injured, may be able to claim a lot of money in compensation. Compensation, in this case, means money paid to an employee who has had a serious accident which has reduced, or may reduce, his working capacity.
The other interested person in the accident is the shop steward, Mr. Jack Green. He thinks the safety precautions are inadequate. A company can be held negligent even if it supplies goggles and other protective clothing and encourages their use. A court could rule that the management should see that its own instructions, or those of the factory inspector, are actually carried out. If Arnold were to make a claim against the company he would almost certainly do it through his trade union. This is the main activity of a union's legal department. Incidentally, he will get money from the State while he is not able to work, and all the care he receives in hospital will be free under the National Health Service.
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(In John Martin's office.)
PETER WILES: Hello, John. A lot of work going on here, I see.
JOHN MARTIN: Yes, we're up to our eyes. We've had a record sales week.
PETER: Splendid. (Telephone rings.)
JOHN: Hello? John Martin here. Yes, Mr. Wiles is here, Ted. What! Oh, no! How frightful! Is the man all right? Yes, come on up... That was Ted Fielding. He's been phoning for you all over the building. There's been an accident in the fitters' shop.
PETER: Oh Lord! Why didn't he go straight to the Personnel Manager? That's his business.
JOHN: Ian Hampden's away.
PETER: Oh, I'd forgotten he was going away this week. Then I suppose it is my responsibility. Is it serious?
JOHN: Ted didn't say. He seemed anxious to come up and see you right away. Ah, here he is. Come in, Ted.
PETER: Good heavens, man, you look awful! It's not a fatal accident, is it?
TED: No, but it's very nasty.
JOHN: Sit down, Ted. What happened?
TED: It's Reg Arnold in the fitters' shop. He didn't put on goggles when he was using the grinding machine and a lot of steel filings flew up... Oh, he looks terrible; one eye's very bad... The foreman called me, and I sent for Robinson, who's trained in first aid. I called you as soon as I could.
PETER: Where is Reg now?
TED: They've taken him to the first aid room, until the ambulance arrives.
TED: Ah, there's the ambulance now.
JOHN: Let's go down.
PETER: Not so fast, John.
JOHN: What do you mean?
PETER: Don't rush things.
JOHN: For goodness sake! Surely we can see the poor chap into the ambulance.
PETER: I think we'll all stay here. An industrial accident can be a tricky affair. It's best to keep out of the way.
JOHN: Surely not. It was the man's own fault by the sound of it.
PETER: My experience is that when there's an accident it's never the man's fault; anyway, in the opinion of our own particular shop steward. You'll see. Jack Green will make the most of this. He'll suggest that, the supervisor should have noticed that he wasn't wearing goggles and insisted that he put them on. It could cost the firm a lot of money.
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(An hour later, in Peter Wiles's office.)
JANE: Oh, Mr. Wiles, Jack Green, the shop steward, is waiting to see you.
PETER: Ah, the inevitable! All right. Ask him to come in.
JANE: Yes.
PETER: Ah, Jack, I've been expecting you.
(Later that day, John comes into Peter's office.)
JOHN: Hello, Peter. You've had a visit from Green, I gather.
PETER: Yes. He says the safety precautions are inadequate.
JOHN: Surely they can't be. After all, there's a notice hanging over every machine warning the men to wear goggles.
PETER: Yes, but Green wants a full-time safety manager. I wonder what H.G. will say to that!
JOHN: Well, you haven't got to worry about Reg Arnold sueing the
company. H.G. asked me to go down to the hospital to see him. I did, and he admitted it was entirely his fault.
PETER: What did he say?
JOHN: He was almost apologetic. As if we were the ones who were suffering! He said he was sorry he'd caused so much trouble.
PETER: H'm. Did anyone else hear him say that, apart from you?
JOHN: Yes. Ted Fielding, who came with me, and two nurses.
PETER: Good. Arnold won't be able to make out a case of negligence against us, when Green gets hold of him.
JOHN: I never realised how tough you could be. You haven't given a thought to the poor unfortunate man. All you care about is the politics of the affair. You're as bad as Jack Green.
PETER: Well, someone's got to be tough if you want to stay in business.
JOHN: I couldn't disagree with you more. Where are you going? Golf, I suppose.
PETER: Not a bad idea on a lovely afternoon like this. No, as a matter of fact I thought I'd call at the hospital on my way home to see Reg Arnold. But I'll get the Personnel Department to check up first how many weeks at full pay he's entitled to under the company sick-pay scheme. You know, it makes up the difference between National Insurance payments and his normal basic rate. That should cheer him up!
TERMS IN THE INTRODUCTION
1. grinding machine used to cut or grind metal
2. fitters' shop where routine maintenance repairs and
modifications are done on machine tool.
Shop: a department of the factory
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3. to sue to bring legal action against someone, to bring
them to court and make an accusation against them
4. shop steward elected representative of members of a trade un- ion working in a particular shop, or group of shops, in a factory. A shop steward represents union members
5. goggles necessary protection, or shield, for the eyes used
when working with lathes, grinding machines, etc. they are like a large pair of spectacles with side pieces
TERMS IN THE EPISODE
1. a record sales this means that more goods were sold in this week week than ever before. To break this record the sales
will have to be even higher in the future
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steel filings small particles of steel
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foreman the employee responsible for the work of the men
under him, the efficiency of the department
and the quality of the work produced.
4. supervisor in a large department there may be several
foremen under a supervisor, each with a
special responsibility
5. safety precaution a precaution is something you take to prevent
potentially dangerous situation from causing
accident. The regulation which made it
obligatory to wear goggles when using certain machines was a safety precaution
6. full-time here, one who works permanently at this job only.
You can either work full-time, that is, a full working day, or part-time, part of the day only
Vocabulary exercises
I. Give the English equivalents to the following words and expressions:
меры безопасности;
текущий ремонт; несчастный случай со смертельным исходом;
халатность; управлять станком; работоспособность; система оплаты больничных листов; первая помощь; инструктор по технике безопасности; неизбежный; предотвращать несчастные случаи; преследовать судебным порядком; недостаточный
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II. Match the words with their definitions:
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l)to sue 2) goggles 3)precaution 4)shop steward 5)negligence 6)fatal 7) inevitable 8) tough |
a) unavoidable; sure to happen b) action taken to prevent a dangerous or undesirable event c) lack of attention, care or concern d) to start a legal case against someone e) resulting in or capable of causing death f) resolute and difficult to influence g) spectacles often of coloured glass used to protect the eyes h) a coworker elected by trade union members to rep resent them in negotiations with the management
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III. Fill in the gaps with the words from the box:
safeguards, first aid, fitters' shop, working capacity, precautions, sued for, working the machines, goggles, negligence
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In a ……………………….. repairs and modifications are done on machine tools.
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Management of an industrial company should do everything
possible to provide ……………………… so that the workers could be quite safe at their working places.
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There are different forms of negligence for which a person or firm can be ………………………. a compensation.
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If an industrial accident happens the injured person can sue for
damages which he alleges are caused by the ……………………………. of his employer.
5) If ………………….. of an employee is reduced as a result of an industrial accident he is entitled to a compensation.
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A company which uses grinding and other machines should supply and other protective clothing to people ………………………………………
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It is the task of a shop steward to see to the ………………………… being adequate.
8) I believe that all police officers and fire fighters should be trained in …………………………………………………..
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IV. Give synonyms and synonymous expressions to the following words and phrases:
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to prevent
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to care
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to allege
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to cause
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to claim
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to reduce
V. Complete the sentences:
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It is always very difficult to prevent industrial accidents because ……………………
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In case a person injured in an industrial accident alleges that the accident was caused by the negligence of his employer he may …………….
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The first thing Peter Wiles thought about when he head of the accident was ………………………
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The shop steward Jack Green thinks that safety precautions are inadequate and suggests……………………...
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Reg Arnold didn’t put on his goggles because ………………..
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Peter didn't want to deal with the case but he had to because ……….
VI. Translate the following sentences into English:
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Совершенно очевидно, что в интересах руководства фирмы не допускать несчастных случаев на производстве, но не всегда можно учесть "человеческий фактор".
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Халатность — в данном случае это нарушение правил техники безопасности. Нарушения могут быть разными, и наказания за них в виде выплаты компенсации назначает гражданский суд.
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Когда происходит несчастный случай, пострадавший может подать иск о возмещении ущерба его здоровью, если он докажет, что нарушение произошло по вине работодателя. Если к тому- же окажется, что были нарушены законы, обеспечивающие личную безопасность и здоровье рабочего, то местный фабричный инспектор может возбудить уголовное дело против данной фирмы.
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Компанию могут обвинить в несоблюдении правил техники безопасности, даже если она снабжает своих рабочих специальной рабочей одеждой и требует их использования. Суд может потребовать, чтобы руководство компании; на деле выполняло свои собственные инструкции по технике безопасности, а также те требования, которые предъявляет фабричный инспектор.
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ADDITIONAL VOCABULARY