12.30pm - Adds OHSA comments

A video of a man caught on camera painting an outside wall while leaning into a three-storey drop has gone viral. 

In a video uploaded to Facebook by Malta Diżastru Totalithe man can be seen moving a paint roller up and down as he stands atop a perimeter wall, with a sheer drop right beneath him. 

The man wears shorts, a t-shirt and white running shoes, without a single piece of personal protective equipment in sight. 

The video was uploaded on Wednesday and has been viewed more than 65,000 times. 

Facebook users were quick to criticise the unidentified man, calling him "crazy" and a "lunatic". Others argued that the man's stunt wasn't just reckless, but futile too. 

"I might be wrong," one reader posted, "but had he stood behind the wall he would have reached the same stretch using his roller." 

An Operational Health and Safety Authority spokesperson told Times of Malta that they were aware of the video and had taken prompt action. 

"Thanks to the help of Malta Diżastru Totali administrators, our inspectors were able to identify the site in question," the spokeswoman said. 

"Inspectors visited the site on Wednesday, yesterday and again this morning but no workers were present. Rest assured we will be closely monitoring the site," they said. 

Last May, OHSA CEO Mark Gauci had urged members of the public to contact the authority whenever they noticed building site health and safety shortcomings, saying it was "deplorable" that people approached the media instead. 

To report an irregularity to the OHSA, call 21247677 or 99496786 during out-of-office hours.

Filmed or photographed something worth reporting? Get in touch - mynews@timesofmalta.com

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