The Armed Forces of Malta posted the fewest non-fatal workplace injuries in the first half of this year, according to official statistics.
Data released on Tuesday by the National Statistics Office shows AFM personnel were the least likely to be hurt at work, with 13 non-fatal injuries reported between January and June 2018.
Of course, it is not all down to statistics. One of the biggest workplace tragedies (after the Um El Faroud blast at the dockyard) took place 34 years ago when five soldiers lost their lives, along with two policemen, while disposing fireworks at sea off Comino. And in 2012 a young soldier died during training at Chadwick Lakes.
Tuesday's NSO statistics also confirmed that managerial roles are also comparatively safe, with 14 injuries, or 0.8 per cent of the total.
AFM members and managers were also involved in the lowest number of workplace injuries throughout 2017 – 0.4 per cent and 0.8 per cent, respectively.
Workers in what the NSO calls the ‘elementary occupations’ were most at risk, with 481 non-fatal injuries, that is 29.1 per cent of all non-fatal injuries in the period under review. Elementary occupations usually refer to simple and routine tasks mainly requiring the use of handheld tools and some physical effort.
Craft and related trades workers also face considerable risk, experiencing 20.3 per cent of the total workplace injuries in the first half of the year.
Taking a job in sales and services also comes at a risk. Workers in this category were involved in 13.7 per cent of non-fatal injuries in the six-month period.
Broken down by industry, the statistics show manufacturing, construction and transportation jobs to be the riskiest in Malta.
Almost half of the injuries so far this year affected the upper extremities of the body, such as the fingers and hands.
Wounds and superficial injuries and dislocations, sprains and strains were the most common types of injuries, at 980 and 374 cases, respectively.
Jobs in the southern harbour region (Valletta, Vittoriosa, Senglea, Cospicua, Żabbar, Fgura, Floriana, Kalkara, Luqa, Marsa, Paola, Santa Luċija, Tarxien, Xagħra) accounted for 35.8 per cent of workplace accidents, followed closely by the northern harbour region (Qormi, Birkirkara, Gżira, Ħamrun, Msida, Pembroke, Pietà, St Julian’s, San Ġwann, Santa Venera, Sliema, Swieqi, Ta’ Xbiex) with 30.1 per cent.
It turns out Gozo and Comino are very safe places to work. Only 1.6 per cent of all non-fatal 2017 work injuries occurred there.
The Occupational Health and Safety Authority reported one fatal accident at work in the first half of 2018, as was the case in the same period a year earlier.
Nearly a third of the accidents at work between January and June took place in enterprises employing more than 500 workers, and a quarter happened in companies having between 50 and 249 employees.
The majority – 89.5 per cent – of those injured in non-fatal accidents were employed on a full-time basis.