Updated 2.30pm with ST Group statement

Construction reform campaigner Isabelle Bonnici says she is “frustrated and sad” with the state of construction reform after contractors drilled a hole into a neighbouring apartment.

Bonnici questioned how mega-developer and Malta Development Association (MDA) president Michael Stivala, whose company ST Group is behind a 14-storey hotel on The Strand, could advocate for - and participate - in a construction reform when he ran an unsafe site.

“How can we really believe that you want a reform that will ensure safe construction sites and protect workers when this is the state of your construction site?

"He’s sharing his expertise on something that he is not able to do for himself,” Bonnici said on social media.

"People are dying, people are suffering, people are being tested to their limits. People have had enough and are even afraid to stay in the comfort of their homes".

In 2023, the MDA told the government that raising the standards for the construction industry should be an absolute priority and must happen even if it leads to a sectoral slowdown.

It also heavily pushed and was involved in talks for the licensing of contractors.

The hole that workers drilled into a Sliema apartment. Photo: Jonathan Borg

On Thursday, the owners of an apartment in Sliema had a hole drilled into their home while workers were working on an adjacent construction site.

ST Group: Neighbour built illegally

In a statement, ST Group said the neighbouring property had illegally encroached onto the company's property and that it had met with the neighbour's architect several times.

"In the said meetings, both the architect and contractor of the adjacent property admitted they were at fault," the company said. "We refute that any damage was inflicted by our works that started after the other property was completed."

The company said it took workplace safety very seriously and that regular inspections of the site confirmed that. 

Sofia inquiry fallout

Bonnici is the mother of 20-year-old Jean Paul Sofia who died on a construction site at Corradino after a building collapsed on him in December 2022. 

A public inquiry about the death of Sofia was launched – after Bonnici tirelessly campaigned for this although the government was initially against it – which found that the state was responsible for his death, and also presented detailed recommendations to improve the sector.

The MDA said it was in favour of a number of the recommendations, however, it asked that they be thoroughly assessed by the committee, rather than simply transposed.

Jean Paul Sofia's helpline ignored

The apartment owner, Joe Farrugia, told the Times of Malta he had repeatedly raised safety concerns with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) before the incident occurred. But previous inspections had not yielded any changes in work practices.

Last year, in collaboration with the BCA and the OHSA, the government set up a helpline -138 - to report any potential safety issues on construction sites.

The number is dedicated to the memory of Sofia, whose birthday was on August 13, hence the number 138.

Bonnici, who fronted the establishment of this helpline, was all the more disappointed to hear that the residents of this Sliema apartment called the helpline numerous times.

"Will next week be business as usual for the ones with fat pockets and fully detached homes while some of us cannot even rest or feel secure in our modest homes?" Bonnici asked.