Safe crane use initiative gets cold shower

An Occupational Health and Safety Authority proposal aimed at ensuring greater road safety by crane operators during construction works has not received an enthusiastic response.

In fact, the OHSA told The Times yesterday that only 11 of 68 local councils in Malta and Gozo reacted to its suggestion, mostly expressing reluctance at the proposal.

The OHSA said permits for the operation of cranes are issued by local councils in the respective localities according to development permits issued by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. It said that crane operations during building and construction activities was regulated by the 1997 Code of Practice for the Building and Construction Industry and by a legal notice laying down minimum health and safety requirements for work at construction sites.

The legal notice stipulates and requires that a health and safety file is drawn up by a competent person for every developer.

This file should include a method statement of works which are envisaged to be carried out, indicating possible hazardous situations and recommendations to reduce if not eliminate such state of affairs. The appointment of a project supervisor both for the design and construction stages is also required.

Additionally, where works are of 30 days duration or longer and where there are 20 or more employees or the duration of such project involves 500 workmen days, the client has to notify the OHSA four weeks before the commencement of works.

The safety watchdog said that in June it wrote to all 68 councils in Malta and Gozo outlining the requirements of these regulations and suggesting that before a council issues a permit allowing any crane operation in the respective locality it would first request access to the relevant health and safety file.

If the council was not satisfied with the arrangement envisaged, especially with regard to the safety of third parties, the council would have the option of not issuing any permit.

The OHSA said it received replies from only 11 councils and the majority emphasised a reluctance to take on such a responsibility.

This matter, it said, was also being tackled with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. The Times last week reported about cranes operating in Cathedral Street, Sliema, which, residents complained, created a hazard to students of St Joseph school.

In the permit, the local council bound the construction cranes to start work after 9 a.m. and to stop before 1 p.m. but the council secretary pointed out that one had to understand that this was not always possible.

Asked whether it took road safety into consideration when granting development permits, a spokesman for Mepa replied in the negative saying the authority made it clear in the conditions that this was a police and a local council issue.