Nine out of every 10 printing presses inspected last year by the occupational health and safety watchdog did not have adequate machine safety measures in place, exposing staff to unnecessary risks.

It transpired that safety guards, emergency stops and electrical circuit breakers had only been installed at six out of the 50 presses inspected. Follow-up visits are being carried out to ensure full compliance.

The Progress Press complex in Mrieħel, where this newspaper is printed, was not among the plants inspected and no notification letters were received flagging shortcomings, a spokesman for Allied Newspaper said. The establishments subjected to the exercise was not divulged.

Details about the findings of the exercise, aimed to improve safety standards in the printing industry, were included in the Occupational Health and Safety Authority’s 2016 annual report.

Inspectors checked whether the equipment bore the CE mark that guarantees conformity with European standards and the necessary safety features installed. Emphasis was also laid on the correct handling of chemicals, health surveillance, air monitoring, risk assessments and adequate signage. The majority of companies visited employed fewer than 10 workers.

The majority lack adequate guards and other safety features

Nearly three out of every five (58 per cent) were found to have carried out a risk assessment, almost half (45 per cent) had a workers’ health and safety representative, but only a fifth carried out fire drills.

Noise monitoring studies were conducted in a quarter of the companies visited. Only one printing press was found to have organised health surveillance for its staff.

The biggest concern was raised regarding the safety features of equipment used.

“On a worrying note, only six out of the 50 companies visited had machinery which conformed with all the relevant health and safety legislation, with the majority lacking adequate guards and other safety features (emergency stops and or electrical circuit breakers),” the report said.

Looking at the bigger picture, the number of fatalities at work last year – seven - was the highest since 2009. Another 3,028 were injured in work-related accidents.

When compared to the gainfully occupied, which last year reached an all-time high at 240,154, both the fatality and the injury rates per 100,000 workers were in line with the downward trend registered since 2002 when the OHSA was set up. This pattern also applies to the construction industry where a decline in injury rates was reported over the last three years.

Apart from inspections, the OHSA is also empowered to issue fines in case of regulation breaches. Last year, €152,000 fines were issued, €112,500 of which were paid. The regulations allow staggered payments.

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