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In this first step, you will read carefully the presentation of this
unit (phrasal verbs have been highlighted in yellow). A full glossary
below will help you understand it better. To get information in
Spanish, just place the arrow of your mouse on any highlighted word
without clicking. |
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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, has 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, for
example, 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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GLOSSARY:
grinding-machine = grinder: a machine
used to cut or grind metal
(esmeriladora);
fitters' shop:
where routine maintenance repairs and modifications are
done on machine tools
(taller de armado o montaje);
shop: a department of the factory
(taller);
machine tools (máquinas herramienta):
apart from presses, there are three basic types of
machine tool:
1)
A lathe
(torno), where the piece of metal to be machined
revolves and is cut by a single-point tool. The tool itself does not
revolve.
2) A
grinding-machine or grinder
in which the tool itself
revolves. The metal removed is in the form of dust.
3)
A milling-machine
(fresadora)
which
works rather on the principle of a carpenter's plane. Material is
removed by a stroking operation. The cutting-tool can be fixed or
rotating;
to sue:
to bring a legal action against someone, to bring them
to court and make an accusation against them
(demandar, entablar juicio);
to
allege: to report, to inform (alegar, aducir, declarar,
afirmar, sostener);
shop steward:
elected representative of members of a trade union
working in a particular shop, or group of shops, in a factory. A shop
steward represents union members
(representante o delegado del gremio);
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
(antiparras, anteojeras);
to encourage:
to give hope or courage to (animar, alentar, estimular);
to carry out:
to fulfill, to accomplish (llevar a cabo, cumplir, realizar). |
