While it may be true that workplace accidents dropped significantly during the last two years, fatalities were higher than previously.
What struck me most, though, is the fact that the majority of both accidents and fatalities took place in construction. Even more shocking is the other fact that within that majority is another majority made up of irregular immigrants.
Most of these workers find themselves in the construction industry unintentionally. It is unacceptable that these often unlawfully employed construction workers are subjected to cheap labour.
Even more objectionable is how we seem to have become accustomed and insensitive to the regular (almost daily for a while) news items involving the tragic death of a construction worker.
Because of the situations in which these foreign and exploited workers find themselves in, they are nowhere near to having any trade union safeguarding their rights. Construction is an inherently risky industry. Every project, no matter how small or large, comes with its own set of hazards, which can lead to serious and life-threatening injuries.
Construction jobs are complex. Job sites can quickly change and large trucks, machinery, pieces of equipment and debris are constantly being hauled to and from the work area.
I have had plenty of occasions on which I was able to observe this category of workers going about their job on different construction sites. This enabled me to gain first-hand knowledge such that I would dare identify four leading causes of death in our construction industry. I would call them ‘the fatal four’.
Falls are the leading cause of injury and death for construction workers. Workers are most likely to fall from scaffolding, ladders and roofs. A good percentage of the construction industry involves work while on scaffolds. When scaffolds are not erected or used properly, fall hazards can occur.
It is unacceptable that these construction workers are subjected to cheap labour- Mark Said
The second-most common cause of death in construction is when something strikes a worker, such as a vehicle, machine or falling object. Many struck-by incidents involve cranes. A crane can overturn, collapse or hit a person while moving, raising or lowering a load. Crane loads can also suddenly fall, crushing anyone underneath.
The third cause is when construction workers are caught in or between machines or debris. Caught-by accidents can happen anywhere, with the injured or deceased victim getting caught, crushed, squeezed, pinched, or compressed between two or more objects.
The fourth cause is electrocution. Contact with live wires is the most common reason for electrocution-related deaths in the construction industry. Live wires can occur in circuit breakers, control panels, light fixtures, transformers and underground cabling.
So how can such frequent accidents and fatalities be avoided or, at least, reduced within our mainstay construction industry? While it may be impossible to control all conditions at a construction site, owners, operators and employees can take steps to prevent accidents at building construction sites.
Though health and safety regulations are in place and Maltese-related legislation is detailed and vast, the problem lies in enforcement and education. This is where the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) comes in. Where construction workers (in particular illegal immigrants and other third-country nationals) are either unlawfully hired or criminally exploited this authority is in dire need to start leaving its mark and bringing about a long-yearned positive change.
It must enforce the right of construction workers to refuse dangerous work and know they are protected from reprisal, the right to know about workplace hazards and have access to basic health and safety information and the right to participate in health and safety discussions and committees.
It is no longer acceptable that the OHSA keeps on excusing or defending itself by arguing that it is chronically understaffed and under-resourced, with less than half the staff it was originally meant to have when it was set up in the early 2000s. Safety should no longer happen by accident.
Mark Said is a lawyer.