Sliema residents believe restrictions should be placed on the number of construction projects permitted to go on simultaneously in one area and would like to see better monitoring of safety standards.
As residents we understand works have to happen, but does it have to be all at once?
“It’s like a war zone,” said Sliema resident Frank Muscat, adding that trucks regularly turned his road into a muddy mess and the protruding scaffolding was an accident waiting to happen.
The 76-year-old lives in Sir Arthur Mercieca Street where a man died in a construction-related accident on Thursday. Żaren Baldacchino was killed when the wire supporting the pulley block of a tower crane snapped and hit him.
Mr Muscat, who had chosen to live in Sliema because it was “quiet and serene”, said the area had changed dramatically and the constant construction works made it uncomfortable, sometimes even dangerous, to live in.
His neighbour, Patrick Camilleri, said he was not particularly concerned about safety as he believed Thursday’s accident was a one-off tragedy.
“It’s mostly the consistent inconvenience caused by trucks and cranes blocking roads, the road being messed up and pavements cracked,” he said, pointing out that there were some eight projects going on around his home, causing dust and noise.
“It’s a general mess... They need to be careful about how many permits to grant at any one time,” he said.
A woman who lives in Tower Road said too many roads were blocked off with ‘no entry’ signs. Motorists driving through Sliema often turn into a road only to realise it is closed due to construction work further down.
A 59-year-old woman who lives in Dingli Street said she was always concerned about the tower cranes and that last Thursday’s accident had confirmed her worries.
“As residents we understand that works have to happen, but does it have to be all at once?” the Dingli Street resident said, highlighting the parking problems caused because of construction works.
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority could not provide information about the number of projects underway in Sliema. A spokesman said the authority kept records of permits and applications but developers had up to five years to start works.
Last year, there were 485 construction-related accidents according to statistics released by the National Statistics Office.
Occupational Health and Safety Authority CEO Mark Gauci said officers regularly visited construction sites but he believed local councils needed to get more involved to ensure safety in their localities.
Some years ago the authority suggested that before issuing a permit to close a road or erect a crane, the council should go through the project file that contains important information that can affect health and safety.
Mr Gauci also felt laws regulating construction were too fragmented. Although the industry was heavily regulated, the responsibilities were divided among various authorities and there was the need for a more holistic approach.