The utilisation of foreign unskilled workers on a temporary basis in the construction industry was having “serious consequences” on the number of injuries at work, the health and safety watchdog (OHSA) has warned.
“These workers are often being hired and dismissed on a monthly (sometimes weekly) basis. Such workers often don’t have a permanent or fixed place of abode and when the need arises, cannot be traced by OHSA which often seeks the intervention and assistance of the police authorities.”
The warning was issued in the 2015 annual report of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority which flagged various other issues in need of attention.
For the second year running the authority expressed concern on “technical hindrances” which were arising in cases involving legal action on contraventions committed by foreign nationals. It pointed out that this was resulting in a “substantial” amount of irrecoverable debt for the simple fact that the contraveners “often leave the islands before the court case is appointed”.
Last year, the OHSA imposed €129,505 worth of fines, of which €104,753 have been collected to date, partly due to the fact that regulations allow staggered payments.
During the period under review from January to December 2015, five fatal accidents at work were reported.
Though injury rates and deaths have been showing a persistent downward trend since 2003, last year there was an increase in the number of cases in the construction sector, which once again topped the list.
Data published by the safety watchdog shows that there has also been a consistent increase in the injury rate in this sector for the last three years which in 2015 reached 5.38 per 100 workers – the highest since 2009.
Last year the transportation and storage sector also reported a rise in injury rates whereas the manufacturing, accommodation and food services, and the wholesale, retail, repair of motorcycles and vehicles sectors registered a drop.
On a positive note the OHSA said that larger contractors appeared to be more receptive to its initiatives, showing tangible commitment and investment to minimise risks on large-scale projects. The report says that last year the number of requests for site monitoring by its officers on projects of a certain size was higher than previous years and reached 738.
As for the nature of complaints filed by the public, the authority noted that it received countless requests for assistance on matters which it said fell outside its remit. These included inconveniences caused by dust, noise and other sources from third party properties, as well as matters of a civil nature.
Nevertheless, these were investigated so as to ascertain compliance with the relevant safety legislation. In this respect the OHSA lamented that an inadequate response by the relevant authorities was often resulting in unfair criticism towards it from complainants who accused the authority of “inaction”.
The report points out that straightforward comparisons with other member states was not possible due to different methodologies. However, based on the Labour Force Survey, work-related incidents in Malta were lower than in most other countries.
Fatalities and injuries at work since 2002