A Luqa business owner was ordered to stop all construction works at his enterprise after a video of large rocks falling down several floors to the ground at the site went viral.

Occupational Health and Safety Authority officers were sent to the site on Triq il-Kunsill tal-Ewropa on Wednesday morning and told the business owner that no more works could take place until preventative measures were put into place.

OHSA inspectors visited the site after they were sent a video on Tuesday afternoon which showed workers at the site dropping large, potentially lethal chunks of rock from the building’s roof as they carried out works.

At one point in the video, a man runs out of the building and signals for the rooftop workers to pause their work, to give a motorist the chance to drive out without getting crushed.

While OHSA officers could order a freeze on works, they were powerless to sanction the business owner for the illegalities witnessed in the video – since no works were being carried out at the time of the inspection.

Video evidence of health and safety irregularities is only admissible as evidence in court if the person who shot the footage was willing to testify, an OHSA source told Times of Malta.

“This is why we always urge citizens to report illegalities and dangers to us directly the moment they notice them,” they said. “That way officers can take immediate enforcement action.”

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.