Nine new health and safety inspectors

Nine occupational health and safety inspectors were presented with their passes yesterday by Social Policy Minister Lawrence Gonzi, bringing the complement up to 14.

The minister said the appointment of the officers was another step in the development of occupational health and safety, an issue on which there existed consensus among the social partners.

Dr Gonzi said a reduction in the number of occupational accidents would benefit not just the workers, but also employers and the country.

Last year, occupational accidents cost Malta Lm14 million and employers were now realising the importance of investment in this area.

Dr Gonzi said that more than 20 experts had been brought over to assist in training last year and another two, one of whom was an expert in radiation, would be visiting soon.

A number of new occupational health and safety regulations were introduced this year.

The General Provisions for Health and Safety at Work Places Regulations 2003, emphasise employers' duty to ensure the health and safety of their workers in every aspect related to work.

Protection against Risks of Back Injury at Work Places Regulations 2003, aim to protect workers against the risks involved in the manual handling of heavy loads.

Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2003, are meant to avoid major accidents involving dangerous substances, and to limit their effect on workers, on people living in the vicinity of such sites and on the environment. There are about 14 different places that fall under these regulations.

Factories (Night Work by Women) (Repeal) Regulations 2003, completely repeal previous regulations prohibiting women from doing night work in most workplaces.

Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Regulations enable the beneficial and just use of ionising radiation while safeguarding both present and future generations from the adverse effects of radiation.