Fines to be imposed on defaulters

Non-compliance with occupational health and safety regulations would soon be penalised by administrative fines, Social Policy Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

Dr Gonzi also said that the Occupational Health and Safety Authority was discussing further provisions for the tightening of controls over the enforcement of such regulations.

He said Malta was fully committed to taking its occupational health and safety obligations very seriously because the government realised that by ensuring high standards the country benefited in terms of its economic and social infrastructure.

The minister noted a decline in work-related accidents but the government was yet not satisfied with the level of reporting of accidents at work.

He said the adoption by Malta of Phase III of the European Statistics for Accidents at Work methodology was in the final stages.

Dr Gonzi was speaking at a meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency's regional project manager responsible for the implementation of the agency's safety standards in the European region, Jozef Sabol, who is on a four-day visit to Malta.

The IAEA is offering its expertise and financial assistance to Malta to help it meet its radiation protection standards.

The IAEA is the world's centre of cooperation in the nuclear field. It was set up in 1957 within the United Nations family.

The agency, which has its headquarters in Vienna, works with its member states and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies.

The purpose of Mr Sabol's visit is to meet members of the Radiation Protection Board, which is the national regulatory authority for controlling radiation sources and practices involving the use of ionising radiation.

He is also meeting other officials to discuss the situation in Malta regarding its compliance with international basic standards.

"We are also glad that Malta's membership of the IAEA has helped the country to improve national capabilities in meeting both the agency's and European Union requirements," Mr Sabol said.

Mr Sabol told Dr Gonzi that the IAEA had positively noted the progress achieved by Malta, particularly through the establishment of the Radiation Protection Board, which had already started inspecting facilities. However, he urged Malta to complete its national inventory of radiation sources and to introduce an efficient system of licensing and enforcement.

Mr Sabol said the agency was willing to extend its assistance to Malta particularly through the IAEA technical cooperation programme which has already funded training, scientific visits, fellowships and the provision of radiation monitoring equipment to Malta.

He welcomed the fact that the national radiological emergency plan was nearing finalisation and pledged to continue supporting the organisation of training courses.

In addition to training courses addressing radiation protection in diagnostic radiology, the IAEA was supporting a national training course for industrial radiographers, which was now in progress.

Mr Sabol appreciated the initiative of Malta regarding the new sub-regional IAERA project, under which the countries in the Mediterranean could participate in the next agency cycle in the further strengthening and control of radiation sources in the region.

This initiative, which may significantly contribute to sub-regional cooperation, has been welcomed by 10 countries in the region and the IAEA is ready to support it through its technical cooperation programme.