An Italian diving expert has warned that Malta has poor occupational health and safety standards in this field and called on the authorities to take urgent action to avoid more fatalities.
Gianluca Lopez, 42, a resident in Malta who took part in the massive salvage operation of the Costa Concordia, was speaking in the wake of the death of a 36-year-old diver at the Palumbo shipyard on Saturday.
Experienced diver Patrick Vella from Żejtun died as he was helping conduct repairs at dock number 4 in Cospicua. The father-of-three had been called in after an underwater mechanism used to empty the dock developed a fault.
The cause of death is yet to be established by a magisterial inquiry, but Mr Lopez’s initial reaction was that the tragedy was not a complete surprise to him.
“Unfortunately more tragedies will follow if no effort is made to align the local industry to established international and European standards,” he told Times of Malta.
The experienced diver said Malta lagged behind in the field even when compared with non-EU countries like Egypt. Salvage operations using oxygen cylinders were no longer performed due to the high risks involved.
“In this respect I consider Malta as a third world country,” he said.
In this respect I consider Malta as a third world country
Yesterday, the police were on site at the shipyard conducting their investigation.
A Palumbo spokesman on Saturday denied reports that the diver had been sucked in by the water pressure, saying there was no such mechanism in place.
Sources told this newspaper the diver was called in to measure the diameter of a defective valve whose diameter was about that of a bucket.
Mr Lopez said that in order to ensure maximum safety the scuba diver must be supported by a team of at least five people who would monitor the entire operation from above.
The diver would be in constant communication with the support team through a special cord which would serve as an audio link, as well as transmitting live pictures from a camera attached to his diving suit.
In addition, the cord would also serve to supply oxygen to the diver, who would be equipped with cylinders only for emergency situations.
“In this way if something goes wrong or the diver finds himself in difficulty, a member of the team would immediately come to his rescue,” he said.
He recalled that during the Concordia rescue operation, a diver who lost consciousness some 38 metres below the surface was saved.
Having settled in Malta six years ago, Mr Lopez said that, in spite of his expertise, job opportunities were very few for the simple reason that working conditions were too risky.
“I worked in the local fish farm industry for some time but nearly lost my life as once I was all alone and got entangled in the net but luckily managed to wriggle out,” he recalled.
Following his lucky escape, the deep-sea diver vouched that he would take no further chances but only do jobs where safety was guaranteed.