Occupational accidents

The Occupational Health and Safety Authority would like to recommend Dr John Attard Montalto's plea to employers to provide all safety measures and training in a bid to reduce occupational accidents, as reported in the article "Occupational accidents not due to inexperience" (October 28).

However, the authority is concerned with what Dr Attard Montalto was quoted as saying with regards to the link between inexperience and occupational accidents. The fact that the majority of those injured were aged between 25 and 34 does not in itself imply that the workers had experience to carry out the job assigned to them. Neither does it imply that they are doing it safely.

Employers are duty-bound by law to train employees according to the work they are to carry out, especially if machinery or other types of work equipment are to be used. Retraining of employees should also be carried out if new systems of work are introduced, new equipment bought or any employee is given different duties. This has to be undertaken periodically.

Moreover, employees have to be consulted and informed about any occupational health and safety actions that could affect them.

Unless these and other actions are taken, the incidence of occupational accidents will still be high.