AX Holdings health and safety initiative

AX Holdings have taken the lead in instilling in their construction workers the importance of taking the proper health and safety measures on the job.

The company's construction division has just issued all its construction employees with a leaflet outlining the company's regulations on building sites.

AX Holdings chairman Angelo Xuereb presented a copy of these regulations to Dr Mark Gauci, chief executive officer of the Health and Safety Authority, when he recently visited the site of AX Holdings' luxury apartments project in Rabat, the Verdala Mansions.

Mr Xuereb explained that for construction work to take place without any element of danger, everyone, including visitors to the site, had to follow well tried health and safety regulations that have now become the law from earlier this year. His company, he said, is giving its employees' well-being the importance the new legislation expects.

Dr Gauci was pleased with the initiative that AX Holdings had taken and complimented the company on the organisation of their sites particularly from a health and safety perspective.

He said he hoped that other construction sites would follow suit and that the general level of safety and health awareness among the building community would rise as a result. He looked forward to the near future when each site would have its own employee designated with the full responsibility for the health and safety of the other co-workers.

Mr Xuereb explained that their own self-imposed regulations are also intended as a team-building exercise and therefore not only includes what should be the standard use of safety helmets, safety shoes and suchlike equipment for personal protection, but also use of ladders and mobile scaffolding, the importance of good use of electrical equipment and machinery, alarm-raising and methods of work and the use of alcoholic beverages, medicinals and smoking on the sites.