The Occupational Health and Safety Authority has complained in its annual report that increased demands on its services have rendered it a reactive organisation in so far as ensuring compliance with regulations.

"Visits by Occupational Health and Safety Officers often follow reports of serious incidents, or requests for investigation of severe risks to health and safety and have to be seen within the context of the other legal responsibilities that the authority is expected to fulfil. Unfortunately this also means that the authority cannot plan any structured workplace visit campaigns."

The authority said that while most people seemed to understand that health and safety levels needed to be improved, few knew how to go about it or their respective responsibilities at law. There was also a dearth of people who could be considered as experts in OHS and who could be of service to the authority itself, employers, workers' organisations, the law courts and others who may have an interest.

Authority chairman Joanna Drake in her message in the report said occupational health and safety remained firmly on the national agenda not only in terms of awareness raising, a role which the authority continued to dauntlessly spearhead, but also in terms of enforcement and particularly, striking that delicate balance between encouraging compliance and reprimanding negligence and non-fulfilment of obligations via tough sanctions. "Otherwise we will risk paying mere lip service to the cause. This, in turn, is bound to put in doubt not only the credibility of the authority's bite but more importantly, of our commitment as a nation to improve our occupational health and safety standards. This is the target that the OHSA has firmly set its mind to, not merely to preach about, but to act upon and succeed in, relentlessly."

In a section of its report dealing with fatal accidents at work, the authority says there were 12 such accidents in the year up to last September 30 of which nine were in the construction sector.

"Our investigations show that in many cases, employers were failing to carry out risk assessments and many of these accidents could have been prevented by appropriate practice" the authority said.

It said it would continue to maintain the pressure to ensure that employers meet their legal obligations, and for a general amelioration of the workplace health and safety. This might entail legal action against the entities involved.

The authority's estimates show that while the authority had a surplus of Lm1,128 in the year just ended, it expected to end the new financial year with a deficit of Lm8,770.

The authority expects to spend Lm238,048 on staff emoluments, from Lm218,259 this year. Total operational expenses will drop to Lm61,000 from Lm93,393 last year. That includes a slashing of the travel bill from Lm13,250 last year to Lm2,000. Spending on training will drop to Lm500 from Lm679.

The government's recurrent grant is expected to remain unchanged at Lm275,000 but the authority is expecting Lm179,000 from EU related funds compared to Lm27,179 last year.