Third of survey respondents not aware of health and safety legislation
30 per cent of respondents in a Union Haddiema Maghqudin survey are not aware of occupational health and safety legislation.
The UHM held its survey carried out the survey among its delegates at the workplace at the beginning of the year.
Only 55 per cent of respondents said that there was a health and safety official at the workplace with the public entities sector having the lowest representation of health and safety officials. In fact, 60 per cent of respondents from this sector said that no such representative was elected. The private sector had the highest number of occupational health and safety representatives.
A total of 13 per cent said that employers did not provide them with the protective clothing they required to work with.
Another 57 per cent said that they did not know who were the qualified first aiders at the workplace while another 31 per cent said they did not know where the first aid box was.
37 per cent of respondents said they were involved in an occupational accident. Of these, 73 per cent said they filed a report with their employers. However, an alarming 68 per cent said that no action was taken by their employers.
UHM general secretary Gejtu Vella said occupational health and safety was a priority for the union.
But, unfortunately, the subject was only raised to a national level when there was an accident. Mr Vella called for health and safety laws to be updated because the workplace changed over the years. The law had to take this into consideration.
The Occupational Health and Safety Inspectorate, Mr Vella said, should not only focus on an education campaign to inform employers of their duty but there should also be a substantial deterrent so that those who did not fulfil obligations would be penalised.
Health and safety laws should also apply to foreigners who worked in Malta, especially if they had a legal permit. He called for more commitment from the government to give health and safety the attention it truly needed.
Mr Vella said that union would use the survey results to create a stronger campaign for better occupational health and safety legislation.
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Kieron O'connor
Jul 7th 2010, 20:13
Training, training more training, and when the training expires...retraining.
Not only will it create jobs in trainers and administrators, it makes sure people get home in one piece and alive.
If your not trained to use the piece of equipment or do the task, you should not be doing it.
Alfred Fenech
Jul 7th 2010, 18:46
I invite Mr Vella to visit one of the major construction sites. Anyone that he wishes and I assure him that the problem is not with educating, it is the stuborness of the workers. The Unions should make it their duty to educate the workers so that employers could comply. I face this difficult if not near impossible task every day and it is always the same people who do not want to comply. Their reasoning is why change since nothing happened to me for a long time. The OHSA is there to enforce and this is lacking because of the lack of manpower. So how can you expect them to educate the employers. Try it Mr Vella and let us know your findings. It is surprising that we do not have more accidents.
Patrick Sacco
Jul 7th 2010, 17:56
I wouldn't be surprised at all. In Malta we rarely take serious things...seriously. Just think of the fatal accidents at the workplace - the majority of them could have been avoided!
A. Slater
Jul 7th 2010, 16:04
If the "UHM general secretary Gejtu Vella said occupational health and safety was a priority for the union" then how come 30% of it's members no nothing about it?
D Delia
Jul 7th 2010, 19:38
..because one or more from these three elements is failing i.e. the employee who needs to do his part an take H & S more seriously, the employer who requires to take more responsibility towards his employees and the government who has to ensure enforcement of H & S rules. Rest assured it’s a one uphill struggle for any Union.