Editorial

Figures of accidents at work for April to June 2005, just released by the National Statistics Office, signal the success of efforts by the Occupational Health and Safety Authority and others to continue raising greater awareness of the importance of taking safety measures at workplaces.

Such efforts did not always seem to be getting results, as horror stories continued to be told of inappropriately clad workmen, people suspended on planks and tottering cranes. It was a great frustration to the authority and to society.

Luckily the situation seems to be improving. Malta ranked third in an NSO benchmarking exercise comprising the other 24 EU member states, with countries like the UK and Germany lagging far behind. The improvement is also due in no small part to awareness campaigns carried out in particular sectors, such as the construction industry and the shipyards. Stiffer court sentences help a great deal, too.

Recently, two people were fined Lm1,000 and given a six-month suspended sentence after three workers were badly injured because of carelessness and breach of regulations. Two directors from construction companies were fined for failing to ensure occupational health and safety; the directors of another company were fined for various infringements and five others were fined for failing to send a lift certificate to the OHSA every six months.

The deterrent factor has great impact and puts the onus on the employer to ensure he complies with the law and that his employees abide by his rules. Far too often workers feel over-confident in their work and refuse to wear safety gear provided by their firm. In a number of countries, construction firms make it clear to prospective workers they would be sacked immediately if they fail to use safety gear.

Now that the awareness drive has brought about an improvement in the situation, it would be a shame if this were to lead to complacency. In the April to June period, there were 2.5 per cent fewer accidents but at 1,023, the figure of occupational accidents is not inconsequential. Of these, 417 were wounds and superficial injuries and another 325 were dislocations, sprains and strains. That still leaves 281 serious injuries. There were also three fatalities, the same number as in the same period last year.

The majority of accidents happen in the manufacturing sector - 360 (35.2 per cent), virtually the same as the previous year. The number of accidents in the wholesale and retail trade showed a 44 per cent increase, from 63 to 91, and those in hotels and restaurants dropped by 20 per cent, from 96 to 78. Construction-related accidents stayed level, from 157 down to 153.

Of course, preventing accidents at work is just one aspect of occupational health and safety, albeit the most pressing one. The emphasis should now shift to other areas, such as the risks of asbestos exposure. Thankfully, smoking at workplaces is now banned but other forms of pollutants also need to be restricted, including noise.

The country also needs to shift attention to the prevention of accidents in the home. So far the NSO does not publish figures of domestic accidents although efforts are apparently being made by the Health Department to collate such information. A quick check of media reports shows seven injuries between April and June, most of them critical. As in the case of workmen at their workplaces, far too often, accidents in the home happen due to negligence or haphazard use of equipment.