Builders who already hold a mason's licence will be able to keep it but might be asked to sit for a refresher course when they seek to renew it, as part of a reform process, Planning Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said on Wednesday.

The Building and Construction Agency (BCA) - which is taking over the licensing process from the police and the director of public works - will recognise builders' existing licences and allow them renewal as long as they comply with new regulations, the minister said. 

Zrinzo Azzopardi was speaking during the launch of a public consultation on the revamped licensing of masons. He said this will be the first major change to the licence in around 140 years.

According to the proposed new regulations, masons must be at least 18 years old, be proficient in understanding design drawings and able to draw and reproduce details of stone elements. They must also be knowledgeable about health and safety measures on construction sites and about the latest local building technology to get the license or have it renewed.

Other requirements include knowledge about the formwork, reinforcement, curing and testing of concrete and the law on development planning and sanitary and building regulations, among others.

They must also have a mason's qualification or equivalent certification, or an award authorised by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education, or provide proof of any other qualifications in the field of practice.

A five-member Masons Licensing Committee within the BCA will be tasked with issuing the licenses, organising examinations, drafting reports concerning laws and regulations and implementing BCA directives. When the applicant does not have any qualifications or certification, the Committee may consider the knowledge, competence or experience of the applicant in masonry work as a comparable qualification after the applicant sits for theory and practical examinations.

"We are introducing modern and updated means to grant licences while defining builders' responsibilities more clearly and strengthening enforcement," Zrinzo Azzopardi said on Wednesday.

"Masons might also be asked to sit for a refresher course before they can have their license renewed. We must boost training as well as strengthen the regulatory framework if we want to improve the industry."

Building and Construction Agency CEO Jesmond Muscat. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

BCA CEO Jesmond Muscat said the revamped licensing process was needed because modern buildings today were higher, went deeper into the ground and used different materials than older buildings. The technologies had changed and masons needed to keep themselves up to date with the latest standards and regulations.

He also said BCA officers would ramp up enforcement to ensure that licence holders were working properly.

"Those who have a licence must understand that we are here to strengthen what they already have," he said.

Last week the government opened applications for contractors to get a licence for the first time in history. On Wednesday, Zrinzo Azzopardi said the reform in the masons' licences was a natural step to complement new legal notices that aim to regulate a safer and sustainable construction industry.

The two licence reforms are part of the government's efforts to rein in rogue building contractors and developers who work dangerously and with little respect toward neighbours, their employees and the environment.

NGOs and pressure groups have been pushing for stricter regulation since a string of construction deaths plagued the industry and the issue became more poignant in 2020, when Miriam Pace was killed in her own home as construction works were ongoing in a neighbouring site, and last December, when 20-year-old Jean Paul Sofia was killed under the rubble of a construction site that collapsed in Paola.

The draft legal notice for the licensing of masons can be accessed here and anyone can participate in the public consultation process by submitting their views to consultation.construction@gov.mt.