Local councils want greater powers to enforce health and safety regulations on construction sites but have been rebuffed by the government.
Michael Fenech Adami, president of the Central Region within the Local Councils Association, told the Times of Malta that the government local councils department had declined his request on the basis that such work is the remit of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA).
The department did not respond to a request for comment.
Councils are required to issue permits for construction activity, including heavy machinery and deposit of building material, but have no power to enforce safety regulations on site.
Dr Fenech Adami said concerns had been heightened last year after a series of incidents in Gżira and Sliema, within the Central Region’s purview, including several cases where roofs caved in after cranes dropped loads of bricks on neighbouring buildings during construction works.
The authority was hampered by understaffing
He proposed that councils should be empowered to request a health and safety report, risk assessment and related documents with every permit issued, and to carry out site inspections to ensure regulations were adhered to.
While these inspections are currently carried out by the OHSA, Dr Fenech Adami claimed the authority was hampered by understaffing issues and could not perform as many site visits as would be required in construction-heavy areas.
Similarly, he added, that while all cranes were meant to be accompanied by a local warden, this was not always the case due to personnel availability. Moreover, wardens were not always aware of all relevant regulations. He said he had also held meetings with the Malta Developers Association (MDA), who expressed agreement.
When contacted, however, MDA president Sandro Chetcuti stopped short of fully backing the proposal.
He said the association shared the council’s interest in ensuring that building regulations were observed and in cracking down on “cowboys” but that further discussions were needed.
He also questioned if councils had qualified personnel to take on the regulatory role.
“We have set up a sub-committee to look into the issue of building regulations and would be announcing proposals in the coming weeks,” Mr Chetcuti said.