The Occupational Health and Safety Authority (Ohsa) initiated 300 legal proceedings this year, a year that has seen a spike in criminal proceedings by the authority.

Some 977 legal actions have been taken by the authority, which is tasked with ensuring that companies abide to safety regulations in workplaces, since 2014.

Some 300 infringements were also found in 2017.

The figures during the past two years contrast with the amount of legal proceedings initiated in 2016 (148), 2015 (134) and 2014, when 68 legal proceedings were initiated.

READ: All but six local council offices found in breach of safety rules

The data was revealed in Parliament by Equality Minister Helena Dalli in response to a question by PN MP Jason Azzopardi.

Dr Dalli emphasised that Ohsa can only take legal action depending on the amount of court sittings assigned by the court. In total, eight court sittings were assigned to the authority this year. 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.