A European survey on workers' perception of working conditions has found a high level of awareness amongst respondents in Malta about the benefits of occupational health and safety.

The survey was conducted by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

Malta scored second among EU member states with regards to the rating given to occupational health considerations when making a career decision. A majority of Maltese respondents also claimed that the levels of occupational health and safety have improved over the last five years (72% of respondents, placing Malta fourth amongst the Member States), while only 17% felt that such levels have deteriorated). However 41% of Maltese respondents expect OHS levels to deteriorate to any appreciable degree because of the current economic scenario (compared to a European average of 61%).

Nearly 60 percent of Maltese respondents claimed to be well-informed about occupational health and safety risks, compared to a European average of 66%.

Dr Mark Gauci, Chief Executive Officer of OHSA-Malta welcomed the results.

"Whereas one should always be cautious when trying to interpret opinion polls, the results obtained usually provide a good indication of the prevailing situation. OHSA-Malta is satisfied that the results of its hard work have started to show, and that there is now more awareness about the benefits of having high levels of OHS and more information available than there was five years ago (a time which roughly coincides with the establishment of OHSA-Malta). This is also borne out by the fact that contrary to what many public statements seem to imply, the vast majority of people in Malta believe that the levels of OHS have improved substantially over the past five years."

The survey found that there is widespread concern among European citizens that the current economic crisis could adversely affect health and safety at work, putting at risk the improvements that they reported having seen over the last five years. Many Europeans said they felt well informed about occupational safety and health and considered it an important factor when choosing a new job.

http://osha.europa.eu/mt/statistics/eu-poll

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