A lacuna in the law that may be putting at unnecessary risk public health and safety at leisure establishments is being addressed by the government.
The Sunday Times of Malta revealed last week that there is no monitoring body to ensure health and safety conditions are consistently upheld at leisure establishments.
This emerged after this newspaper sought the authority responsible for ensuring public health and safety standards at leisure venues, especially ones targeting children, after a three-year-old girl was injured at the Splash and Fun park at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq when she fell from a walkway with no rail.
“The matter you highlighted in your report is of concern to government, which is taking the matter seriously... There are a number of options we are looking at and the quickest and most effective way forward would be to strengthen set-ups which already exist,” the Office of the Prime Minister said.
The government is contemplating extending the role of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA), subject to proper resources and a set-up, which could fulfil the role effectively.
The OHSA does not cover public safety as yet, and its concern is limited to workers. But in the UK, the Health and Safety Executive – the equivalent of Malta’s OHSA – also covers public safety concerns and intervenes to prevent risk rather than reacting to injuries after they occur.
The matter you highlighted in your report is of concern to government, which is taking it seriously
A probe by The Sunday Times of Malta last week revealed that while several authorities are empowered to address health and safety standards, establishments welcoming people under 17 years of age did not fall under a monitoring body.
It is simply up to the operator to ensure optimum conditions, some of which are not clearly defined.
“The set of authorities and laws we inherited do not, in fact, put the onus on anyone at present. This is an issue which has to be addressed,” the OPM said.
The government said that ensuring public safety has always been considered as a police function. In addition, there already exists a committee dealing with public places of entertainment and it is suggested that the role of this committee be extended to cover public safety in all establishments, including leisure activities.