Accidents, ill-health cost Lm14m to economy

Occupational accidents and ill-health squeezed Lm14 million out of the economy last year.

The figure excludes the cost of insurance claims, expenses incurred by the national health service, the number of days lost from productive employment and the social and emotional price paid by the affected families.

Social Policy Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday Malta could not sustain such an economic burden, nor could it afford such losses to its skills base.

Over the year, the government forked out Lm900,000 in benefits for injuries which resulted in a maximum of 90 per cent disablement in bodily or mental faculties, as well as Lm1.54 million in sickness benefits.

And the economic cost of 465,629 lost days of work, calculated at an average daily wage of Lm24.60, amounts to another Lm11.45 million.

According to statistics for 2002, 4,900 accident claims were registered with the Department for Social Security. Of these, the vast majority (90 per cent) were registered by men.

The number of employees who were injured last year amounted to 4,473, which represented 3.3 per cent of Malta's current gainfully occupied population.

Dr Gonzi expressed concern that a limited sector of the working population seemed to be more prone to injury at the workplace than others.

The level of accidents occurring in the private sector was also cause for concern. These amounted to 71.5 per cent of the 2002 claims, followed by the Malta Drydocks, with 691 accidents (14 per cent of claims).

Dr Gonzi said the manufacturing sector was particularly susceptible to accidents: in 2002 alone, 2,747 claims (56 per cent) were made by the manufacturing sector; the construction industry ranked second, with 494 claims (10.3 per cent) for accidents.

The figures highlighted the need to focus efforts on the management and prevention of risks in the manufacturing industry, Dr Gonzi said.

He pointed out an element of seasonality in the occurrence of accidents: the period May-September proved to be more conducive to accidents and injuries than other months.

According to the statistics, occupational accidents seemed to transcend age boundaries, he said.

One of Dr Gonzi's gravest concerns was "who was getting hurt". During 2002, 60 per cent of accidents occurring at the workplace affected unskilled labourers, which meant that the lowest income earners were being affected the most.

Low-income families, already at risk of social exclusion, were, therefore, also exposed to higher health and safety risks at their workplace, Dr Gonzi said.

The minister was speaking at a conference on Occupational Health and Safety - Concerns into Actions, organised by the Occupational Health and Safety Authority at the Corinthia San Gorg Hotel yesterday. The conference marked the closure of an EU-funded project, or twinning agreement, involving the OHSA's counterparts in the UK and Ireland.

During the past year, about 630 individuals directly involved in occupational health and safety were trained to improve the upholding of adequate health and safety standards at their workplace.

The OHSA has undergone a substantial recruitment drive, doubling its inspectors and engaging a number of specialists in key areas of occupational health and safety.

Besides strengthening the administrative capacity, the EU has offered a further o365,000 for the purchase of IT and monitoring equipment for the OHSA.

In total, the EU provided €700,000 to assist the OHSA at a crucial time - when the authority was trying to find its feet and bring about a culture change.

In the coming weeks, Dr Gonzi said, a number of new regulations would be published, intended to change the face of occupational health and safety by ushering in a standard of safety and risk prevention across industry.

Dr Gonzi said the government was doing its utmost to ensure a proper regulatory framework, stressing that the OHSA would monitor and be forceful in its investigation of incidents of non-compliance.