The excavator dangles dangerously in the air, suspended more than three storeys in the air. Right beneath it, three young men amble down the pavement, perhaps oblivious to tonnes of machinery hanging just metres above their head. 

Video of an excavator being lowered to the ground by a crane along the St Julian's coast without any safety precautions is doing the rounds on local social media feeds, in the latest example of errant developers flaunting health and safety laws. 

The man filming chuckles as he points out the blatant danger, before going on to wonder what would happen if the excavator bumped against the windows of the building it swayed next to.  

When contacted, Occupational Health and Safety Authority CEO Mark Gauci said that the authority had sent officers to the site in question as soon as it was alerted to the video. 

He said it was all too common for workers on site to take "irresponsible, spontaneous decisions" like that shown in the video footage, and it was for this reason that clients were obliged by law to appoint project supervisors for the duration of a project.

"As part of its investigation, OHSA will be scrutinising all named duty holders and enforcement action taken as appropriate," he said. 

Dr Gauci expressed dismay that the person who uploaded the video to social media had not bothered to alert the OHSA to the danger.

Just last Saturday, video of a dangerous demolition job in Siġġiewi outraged the public and prompted the developers' lobby to issue a statement urging 
authorities to take harsh measures against such 'rogue' contractors.

Spotted a health and safety danger? Let the Occupational Health and Safety Authority know by calling 2124 7677 (9949 6786 outside of office hours) or by emailing ohsa@gov.mt