Over 1,000 Orders To Stop Dangerous Works Were Issued By Maltese Authorities
Malta’s Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) has revealed how many workplace inspections they carried out over the last two years – and how many led to stop orders.
OHSA carried out 9,106 workplace inspections over the last two years, varying from micro to large enterprises in the manufacturing, construction, and services sectors. Officers who carry out these inspections look at the various aspects of work activity being carried out and take action according to the levels of risk present.
“In situations where the danger is significant but not high, improvement notices are issued, instructing employers to remedy the situation within a reasonable period of time. Improvement notices were issued between January 2020 and December 2021 to nearly a third of the workplaces visited (3,045),” they said.
“In 1,025 workplaces visited, the hazards present were deemed serious enough to potentially cause death or serious physical harm.”
In these instances, OHSA officers issued orders for work activities to stop immediately until the situation was remedied. These cases will continue to be followed up to ensure that the workplaces become compliant. In all these instances, administrative fines are issued or judicial proceedings commenced once OHSA’s investigations are finalised.
During the same period, 1,152 entities and individuals were issued administrative fines for breaches of occupational health and safety legislation committed during the preceding months.
The most common infringements were the lack of provisions to prevent falls from heights, construction site project supervisors not adhering to OHS general principles of prevention and construction site clients not following the recommendations of the project supervisor.
During the same period of time, OHSA also vetted 8,906 equipment examination reports and 3,873 construction notification forms, amongst others.
Malta’s been dealing with unsafe work environments, with workers even left for dead at the side of the road after an accident occurs.
Lovin Malta met Jaiteh Lamin, a worker who fell on his worksite in Mellieħa and was left on the wayside by his employer, changing his life forever – watch it below.
What do you make of these figures?
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