Cheap Price For A Life: Malta’s Construction Fatality Fines Were As Low As €1,000
The average fine handed out by the Criminal Court for a construction worker fatality from 2010 to 2022 was shockingly low at €7,030, with the minimum fine being €1,000 and the maximum only €11,650.
These unsettling figures underscore the inadequate enforcement of safety standards in the construction sector, and reveal the cost of a human life in Malta’s modern construction industry.
The statistics were revealed in a new in-depth report titled “Victims Of Malta’s Construction Boom” by The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation as part of the Public Interest Litigation Network (PILN) which breaks shocking statistics collected from various government agencies about construction developments and their related tragedies.
The report indicates that out of 49 construction worker fatalities between 2010 and 2022, a staggering 32 since 2015 have yet to result in court decisions.
The troubling lack of judicial action points to an urgent need for scrutiny and reform of construction safety and workers’ rights.
When examining the five court decisions related to construction-related fatalities during this period, the fines imposed present a grim picture. The penalties for these cases range from €1,000 to €11,650, with an average penalty of just over €7,000.
The penalties for these tragic fatalities were:
Case #1 in 2013: €11,650 fine
Case #2 in 2013: €10,500 fine
Case #3 in 2013: €1,000 fine and 18 months imprisonment suspended for three years
Case #4 in 2014: €10,000 fine
Case #5 in 2015: €2,000 fine
These disturbingly low penalties send a clear message: the value placed on construction worker lives and safety is far too low. The discrepancy between the increasing rate of fatalities and the low fines imposed calls for an urgent review of the Maltese legal and enforcement system for worker safety.
These statistics reveal a systemic issue in the Maltese construction industry and the justice system’s response to it.
Are you shocked by these numbers?