Killing (construction) fields

Since the fatality in Sliema on February 2, many people have been rightly commenting about the negligent state of affairs on construction sites.

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised that The Times gave such good coverage to the accident and was even more surprised to read the online comments because I realised how passionate many Maltese are on the subject.

... all contractors found to be in breach of safety practices should be heavily fined- David Grima

The fact that many people who don’t frequent construction sites had so much to say on the matter was proof enough that some contractors don’t even hide their “crimes” and leave the public to witness all.

When passing by many construction sites in northern European countries, it is often hard to see what’s going on let alone enter. In Malta, access is sometimes free for all although this has improved over the years and a gate is often (though not always) provided and kept locked during non-working hours.

I could start off by discussing an oral exam I had in London last March when sitting for my chartered engineer final review exam at the British Institution of Civil Engineers. I was asked to discuss my work experience and I remember showing my examiners (long-standing practising engineers and Fellows of the same institution) pictures of a construction site I had worked on as a junior engineer.

By Maltese standards this was one of the better sites as a braced steel staircase was provided to access the excavated pit, the site was clean and work was heavily supervised. The site was also adequately closed off and a steel gate was kept locked to prevent any unauthorised people from entering the site.

Still, the examining engineers were appalled with what they saw and the breaches in safety, as they put it. I was ashamed to say that they were nudging each other and pointing out the various things they thought were wrong.

I had to embarrassingly tell them that Malta is not as developed when it comes to safety enforcement and that we are, in fact, improving over the years although still lagging far behind countries such as the United Kingdom. I also pointed out how difficult it is to enforce health and safety on site but promised them that, as a young engineer, I will do my best to set an example and, I must admit, they admired my will and enthusiasm to improve things.

Through experience, it can be said that only a minority of construction companies enforce health and safety issues and the rest try to ignore these. Everyone is aware of these companies and serious clients usually select them due to their professionalism. They often charge higher rates but would then provide a much better service, which would be beneficial to all in the short and long term.

Still, if one had to drive by a couple of construction sites one can very easily point out which are the good companies. Only recently, two large projects were carried out within 100 metres of each other in Valletta and the differences in safety practices between the two sites left one wondering whether the work was taking place in two different countries.

On many sites, workers never wear hard hats or safety jackets. Railings are rarely constructed along site edges, stairwells or lifts. Shafts are sometimes not blocked up and cranes are often manoeuvred without careful attention being paid to the people below. Ladders are often not adequately supported and entering excavated pits is usually a dangerous nightmare. The list could go on and on.

Ironically, most sites are forced to employ a health and safety officer and it seems obvious to all that the guidelines are seldom enforced. Only recently, I was forced to report a situation where to enter an excavated site I had to go down a ladder that was not well supported, leading me to fear for my safety. The safety officer had supposedly gone to inspect the site that morning.

I also witnessed a construction site where, in order to enter, one was expected to jump onto a broken wooden platform, climb over a wall and then walk onto a single wall and along uncast concrete beams.

These incidents beg belief even if they are the most trivial of occurrences.

Workers often boast that they risk all, though this stops being amusing when accidents occur. I know of instances when workers rode in crane hoists, others were forced to use a rope to descend into a pit, some had to walk on high single skin walls and professionals fell down shafts, though, luckily, they survived, thus forgetting such incidents.

The question one would ask is how to enforce safety regulations. It is fair to say that hardly any enforcement is carried out and it is up to the site manager whether to enforce the rules or not. Some do, many don’t.

One should report acts of negligence to the appointed safety officer in the hope that action is taken. Another route to take would be to report the incident to the client (in the hope that he takes action) or, in the worst-case scenario, to the authorities such as the police or the Occupational Health and Safety Authority.

The latter route is not the wise one to take in Malta and it is not exactly clever to make enemies (in a country where everyone knows each other) and, thus, one would hope that the authorities carry out inspections. This should not be difficult to do, especially as the “dangerous” sites are often visible from the road.

Therefore, unless the building regulations are updated and enforced, such negligence will only continue and accidents and fatalities will continue to be the order of the day.

The British civil engineering authorities are publicising the record (low) number of accidents that occurred during the construction of the entire Olympic site. There were so few accidents and fatalities that I’m sure more accidents occur on, say, a combination of five small residential construction sites in Malta.

I can remember a conversation I had with a contractor a few years ago about an employee of his who had served as a construction worker in Germany. He could not understand how his German site manager would fine him every time he failed to follow the adequate health and safety procedures. This was a far different scenario to the one he was used to in Malta whereby his boss would cover up for him rather than fine him.

Needless to say, this person returned to Malta and continued working here as he found the German culture to be far too disciplined for his liking.

In my opinion, in order for site practices to improve, the authorities must carry out frequent random checks and all contractors found to be in breach of safety practices should be heavily fined.

Sites should be adequately closed off, a lockable gate provided and adequately lit.

Railings should be placed at all edges and shafts and sites should be kept relatively clean and clear passage routes provided.

Cranes should be inspected and all workers should wear the required safety gear.

All sites should be well accessible whether underground structures or high rise buildings.

Some fellow professionals advise others to accept that Malta is not northern Europe and that enforcement will not be as strict. This should not be done for, otherwise, Malta will remain lagging behind other developed countries.

The author is a chartered civil engineer and conservation architect.