Non-compliance with occupational health and safety legislation should not be tolerated, Social Policy Minister Lawrence Gonzi warned.

Presenting passes to the new safety officers recruited by the Occupational Health and Safety Authority, Dr Gonzi said, however, that there was consensus among all the social partners on both sides of industry about the need for occupational health and safety.

The new guidelines incorporated in the occupational health and safety legislation were published recently.

Dr Gonzi said that occupational accidents last year cost Maltese taxpayers around Lm14 million and this figure was not sustainable.

"So make no mistake - being health and safety conscious and being business competitive is no contradiction," Dr Gonzi said.