Workplace injuries and deaths have been steadily declining since 2002, when the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) was set up, parliament was told this evening.
Speaking during the debate on the OHSA’s budget for 2016 and its annual report, Social Dialogue Minister Helena Dalli said that statistics showed that the accident rate had gone down by 50 per cent.
“Although each work-related injury is unacceptable, it is satisfying to note the downward trend. Our data compares well with the European scenario,” she remarked.
However the construction sector remained a challenging area where the majority of fatalities and contraventions occurred.
Data published in the Authority’s annual report showed that during the last three years there has been a consistent increase in the injury rate in this sector, reaching 5.38 per 100 workers last year – the highest since 2009.
Last year, the OHSA received 6,899 inspection reports related to various types of machinery and equipment, including 3218 lifts, 877 cranes, 480 boilers, 1192 forklift trucks, and 1132 other equipment such as car jacks, lifting platforms and elevated work platforms.
PAQPAQLI ACCIDENT LESSONS
Following the Paqpaqli accident last October Dr Dalli said she had asked the Authority to review the current legal framework regulating the protection of the public’s health and safety during public events and to make recommendations.
Two issues emerged. The first was that current legislation restricted the OHSA to occupational health and safety, excluding public events. The other was that there was no single entity responsible for public events, although many entities were involved.
The report recommended a regulatory authority, with executive powers, which would assume all responsibilities for public safety.
Following a public consultation exercise, Dr Dalli said she set up a working group that was working on initiatives to ensure safety at public events.
NEED FOR MORE RESOURCES
Opposition health and safety spokesman Clyde Puli called for the allocation of more resources to the Authority.
He remarked that the OHSA was limited in the number of people it could recruit, despite its obvious need. In contrast, employment in other areas of the public sector was increasing.
He asked whether it was true that the Authority had to suspend its outreach in schools because of financial limitations.
According to the annual report, he said, foreign consultants were engaged to evaluate the reports on the new power station and terminal’s safety, said Mr Puli.
During MEPA’s public hearing, Transport Malta promised a maritime survey about a number of activities, including the LNG transfer from the tankers to the regasification facility. He asked whether this report has been concluded and if so, whether this report has been forwarded to the experts engaged by the Authority.
Given that the government was claiming that works were at an advanced stage, Mr Puli asked when this analysis would be concluded.