Editorial
Prevarication on a life and death issue
The tragic destruction of human life through fireworks explosions continues. Four men have been blown up this year in Qormi, Marsaxlokk and, a few days ago, Dwejra. Following last year’s tragedies, the roll-call of death by fireworks goes on.
These are not acts of God. They are acts of all too human fallibility. Fireworks factories around Malta – and there are literally scores dotted around the countryside – explode either because of human error, or because not all rules are obeyed or because ensuring adherence to the safety rules – ultimately entrusted to the police – is, for one reason or another, not happening or, at least, not happening the way it should. Accidents will, of course, happen but here we are literally playing with fire and, so, extra care must be taken on all fronts.
None of the above is to under-estimate the personal agonies suffered by the families and friends of those who perish in such accidents. But it is to underscore brutally the urgent need to do something radical to avoid fireworks explosions as much as humanly possible. Each accident is one accident too many; each death or maiming, one death or injury too many.
The authorities, with each successive fireworks accident or misdemeanour, promise action but have notoriously failed to deliver on their promises. This time they must and the government has to understand this loudly and clearly. It has a duty of care to society as a whole, which it is not appearing to be exercising in this area.
The explosions that rocked the fireworks factory in Dwejra on Friday, August 13, left one man dead and a scene of devastation. By many standards, the Dwejra factory was in a somewhat open piece of countryside. It would be horrific to imagine what might have been the result if a similar explosion had occurred in some of the other fireworks factories, which are placed in direct proximity to crowded towns or villages.
In the wake of a spate of bad incidents in the past, legislation was belatedly tightened up in 2008 and again this year. The law lays down clear criteria for issuing licences, controls on the type of chemicals and explosives that may be used and the need for insurance. It allows for an explosives committee, groups of experts to advise the Home Affairs Minister and the employment of a team of fireworks inspectors to regulate the factories on the ground.
The weakness clearly lies in the application of regulations on the ground, where it matters. The administration of the law, not the law itself, is probably the void lying at the heart of this life-threatening manufacturing industry.
A board of inquiry should be established immediately to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the practical administration of the fireworks regulations. It should focus on the issues of concern and make urgent recommendations for their rectification, including: Are there sufficient fireworks inspectors to ensure proper regulation? Is the licensing of factories in conformity with international standards? Is the calibre of those manufacturing the fireworks up to required standards or should the day of the gifted amateur (dilettanti) be consigned to the history books? Are there some factories which are now so close to urban habitation that they should be closed?
The time for prevarication on this life and death issue is long gone. The need for action to spare us from future fireworks carnage has surely come.
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PACIFICO GALEA
Sep 1st 2010, 09:07
Meta ktibt il coments ta qabel kien ghada ma hargitx it times 31.8.2010 u jien qed li din hija manuvra kontra il piroteknika li dejjem kontra u dak li hu favur ma ngibux. Ghax fill fatt hekk kien ir rebha kbira blunuri kollha mirbuha mil Maltin gewwa Spanja bix show tal PIROTEKNIKA MA SEMMA MKIEN GO DIN IL GAZZETTA. ISSA NIGI GHAL LI QED INT SUR PACE QEDTLI LI QED NAGHZAQ. JIEN KUL MA GHAMILT HUWA LI WREJT ACCIDENTI BIL KAROZZI LI JSIRU GO DAN IL PAJJIZ FEJN SAHANSITRA NIES LI KIENU GHADEJIN GHAL AFFARI TAGHOM FUQ BANKINA SPICCAW MIDRUBA SAHNASITRA GRAVI WKOLL,IMMA DAWN INZOMMUHOM MISTURA KEMM JISTA JKUN MA NAGHUHOMX POMPA BHAL MA NAGHTU XI ACCIDENT BIL PIROTEKNIKA.GHADEK MA TAFX KEMM IKUN HEMM SIGURTA WAQT IL PROCESS TAL MANIFATURA IMMA KULTANT TIGRI XI HAGA BARA IL KONTROL TAGHNA TAHSEB INT LI MIN JAHDEM IL PIROTEKNIKA JAGHMEL DAN GHAX IRRID IMUT.
PACIFICO GALEA
Aug 30th 2010, 22:11
Mela din li qed nibghat hawnhekk hija statista ta kemm mietu u weggaw nies fit TOROQ MALTIN F LEWWEL SITT XHUR TAS SENA. U qed taghmlu plejtu shih ghal 4 accidenti bil piroteknika. Lewwel nett nixtieq nghid li aktar safe go post tan nar milli go triq gewwa Malta jekk tikompara dawn fliemkien. Jekk tinutaw sew hafna min dawn kienu qedin fuq bankina u spiccaw ferutti gravi.The National Statistics Office said there were 10 fatalities between January and June, with seven males and three females losing their lives.
The total number of accidents was up by 44 to reach 7,140. Of those involved, 114 people suffered grievous injuries, including 62 drivers, 17 passengers and 31 pedestrians.
A further 439 were slightly injured, 262 of them drivers, along with 124 passengers and 53 pedestrians.
Qormi was statistically the most dangerous locality, with 404 accidents occurring there, closely followed by Marsa, which was the scene of 397.
Sunday was the worst day in terms of people suffering injuries, with 21.2 per cent of the total, even though it had the lowest incidence of accidents, at 455. The highest accident rate was recorded on Fridays, with 621 cases in the past three months.
J. Pace
Aug 31st 2010, 03:11
Ghalkemm grazzi tal- informazzjoni dettaljata, jiddispjacini nghid li qieghed litteralment tghazaq - bir-rispett kollu.
Inti qieghed tqabbel il-kwantita ta kemm mietu nies bil-karozzi, ghal-kwantita ta kemm mietu nies bin-nhar li ma taghmilx sens. Inti percentagg trid tqabbel mhux kwantita!
Mela inti hawn nies jahdmu nhar daqs kemm hawn nies isuqu l-karozzi? Kieku hawn karozzi daqs kemm hawn nies jahdmu nhar, nasigurak li ma jkunx hawn incidenti.
Apparti minn hekk, jien miniex expert ta kif tikkalkula statistici, pero mijiex lanqas straight forward ta kemm taqbad kemm hawn sewwieqa u tohrog percentagg, ghax fin nofs jidhlu variabli ohra.
Pero zgur mhux forsi ma tistax tqabbel 'kwantita' ma 'kwantita' meta differenza bejniethom ija enormi bhal ma hu f'dal kaz.
Jekk inti wiehed li tahdem nhar, hu hsieb u attent li ma tghaffigtx xi wahda kif ghaffigta bl-statistika tieghek
pacifico galea
Aug 30th 2010, 22:00
Ara vera ma tisthux min Alla. Tidher il hdura li ghandkom ghal tal Piroteknika dejjem tparlaw fil vojt kontra in nar. Ara meta Maltin jaghmlu issem tajjeb bil piroteknika dan ma tfahruhx immiskom tisthu. Il lum stess giet imhabra ir rebha kbira li saret gewwa spanja mil ghada piroteknika ta San Guzepp Ta hal Ghaxaq li kaxkret kull premju li kien hemm fost hafna partecipanti kbar madwar id dinja. Hawn turu kemm ghandkom hdura go qalbkom kontrina u ghax din hija xi haga li il Malti ta Klassi Medja u Baxxa Ta maltin li jiehdu gost bil piroteknika din nohorgu krucjata kontrijhom bhal ma ghamiltu fil kaz tal Kaccaturi biex zgur teqirdu dak kollu li hu Malti Ghax certa nies li huma ta klassi GHOLJA ma jridux jaraw aktar dawn id DELLIZJI U KULTURI MALTIN GHAX HUMA IL BOATS U NSIBU XI WIED U BIEX NEQIRDUH NARAW KIF NAGHMLU U NIBNU GO FIH U NEQIRDU IS SIGAR U KUL MA HEMM FIL MADWAR U NALQUH HALI IL PUBLIKU IZ ZGHIR NEQIRDULU KOLLOX U MA JINTERSEHOMX MIN XEJN AKTAR U MIN HADD. LEWWEL HUMA IMBAD HUMA U DEJJEM HUMA U XEJN AKTAR HEMM TARA KEMM HAWN HDURA GO DAN IL PAJJIZ.
Stephen Florian
Aug 30th 2010, 10:57
This article is indeed to the point. I consider it as a ray of light to people of good will in this most tragic issue. However I am still tempted to ask: Is there political will on this issue of fireworks ? Both PN and PL act in a servile, client oriented way so as not to diminish the flow of votes to one's party. In view of all tragedies recent and past, is it not the time to treat this issue from a National safety perspective ? The church has part of the guilt in this issue as well. Is it not the time to admit that prevention is better than cure. How many more lives are still to be lost while we procrastinate and look the other way when the next mushroom cloud sprouts up in the Maltese sky...?