Injuries at the place of work and work-related illnesses cost the country €33 million annually, Occupational Health and Safety Authority chairman Deo Debattista told Parliament.

Speaking during the debate on the OHSA’s financial estimates, the Labour MP said 2,700 inspections were carried out last year and officials examined more than 6,000 certificates issued by mechanical engineers to operate cranes.

Three persons had been arraigned and more than €365,000 imposed in fines.

He said employers were obliged to hold training programmes for staff and the OHSA continued to promote awareness through seminars and education campaigns. The two most popular seminars were on the use of tower and mobile cranes.

A greater value has to be placed on human life

Dr Debattista said the authority had entered into consultations with the social partners on further amendments to various laws so that these would reflect present-day circumstances. A Bill that would lead to better regulation in the construction sector would be presented to Parliament in two years’ time as the OHSA had to address its concerns on this sector.

Introducing the debate, Social Dialogue Minister Helena Dalli said the changes in the workplace as a result of technological advances and the international recession had increased the risk of precarious work, which the government was addressing.

A cultural change was needed so that regulations would no longer be seen as an expense but an investment. One needed to place greater value on human life and evaluate the risks one took at the workplace.

According to Eurostat, Malta had registered the second highest drop in work-related injuries and deaths.

Dr Dalli said proactive inspections and campaigns were rendering results. Court procedures were started in 98 cases. In 15 cases, sentence was passed; there were three suspended sentences and a fine of €11,600. Fines of €51,800 were issued besides €64,900 in fines administered by the authority itself.

Health opposition spokesman Claudio Grech said that, when compared to Malta’s population, 3,100 injuries a year were considerable. These had an impact on the public health system.

Mr Grech said the resources available to the OHSA were not increasing. Some 11,000 employees in the health sector faced constant work problems and risks and one should analyse the implications of such circumstances on the health and safety of the workers.

Some unions had listed health and safety as their primary concern. Work conditions did not simply mean salaries and benefits.

Mr Grech said he could not understand how the OHSA’s budget had remained unchanged.

Ryan Callus (PN) spoke about tower crane incidents and said the government should be proactive where the necessary safeguards had to be taken.

According to practice, mechanical engineers were the professionals who were sought to certify a tower crane but some were not specifically trained for the job. He suggested that a mandatory practical course should be held for all mechanical engineers involved in the certification of tower cranes.

Nationalist MP Marthese Portelli submitted seven proposals which, she said, if implemented would lead to improved workings of the OHSA and give better protection to workers exposed to asbestos.

She proposed that the OHSA adopted international standards that regulated its internal procedures.

The authority should also introduce OHSAS 18001, which set out the minimum requirements for occupational health and safety management best practice.

Dr Portelli called for a study to find out whether it was feasible to have a public-private partnership that would allow the OHSA to remain responsible for inspections and follow up on incidents but have enforcement carried out by a separate entity. Whoever was exposed to asbestos in his/her line of work should be covered by insurance for any damages incurred. Such workers should also be given extensive training for handling, removing and detection of such material.

Winding up the debate, Dr Dalli noted the OHSA had applied for European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) for various projects.

She referred to accidents caused through the use of tower cranes and said that present regulations were adequate. Incidents occurred because of dangerous activity where the law was not observed.

She referred to the agreement with the Chamber of Engineers to train tower crane operators.

The minister also referred to the MUMN report on nurses burnout and said that the authority had offered its services to try to arrive at a solution. Preventive measures had to be taken to avoid stressful situations.

Dr Dalli said the government had tackled the asbestos issue from its very first days in office by taking action to reduce danger to employees at the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority’s premises and removing the asbestos roof from the Gozo hospital.