These are Malta's most dangerous jobs according to OHSA
OHSA investigated 633 workplace accidents, nine of which were fatal
Jobs in transport, storage and construction are the most dangerous in Malta, according to data supplied by the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA).
Figures for 2025 show that the highest proportion of reported workplace accidents happened in the transport and storage sector (24%), followed by construction. The two sectors also recorded the highest number of fatalities during 2025.
On Tuesday, a 40-year-old man was killed when he became trapped in the machinery at the back of his refuse truck.
The OHSA said in its 2025 annual report that 80% of its inspections were concentrated in the construction sector, reflecting the elevated risk profile of the industry. The remaining 20% was distributed across other economic sectors.
Overall, compliance levels across inspected construction sites remained relatively high, the regulator said. Approximately 74% of sites were found to be adequately compliant with occupational health and safety requirements. Enforcement action was, nevertheless, required in a significant number of cases.
Improvement or enforcement orders were issued at about 21% of sites and 5% of the inspections held resulted in the immediate cessation of works through the issuance of stop work orders. The OHSA issued more than 2,500 enforcement and improvement orders in the construction sector last year.
Compliance levels in Gozo were consistently lower than those observed in Malta throughout the year. This difference was reflected in enforcement outcomes, with the proportion of orders issued in Gozo exceeding that of Malta by 10 percentage points.
Accidents
The OHSA investigated 633 workplace accidents, nine of which were fatal.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of the accidents involved Maltese nationals.
Non-EU nationals accounted for 24% of cases and accidents involving EU nationals represented 5% of the cases. Nationality information was not specified in 6% of investigations.
Male workers accounted for 77% of accident victims, reflecting their higher representation in risk-intensive occupations.
While Maltese workers were involved in the majority of workplace accidents, non-EU nationals had a higher fatality rate. Of the nine fatal accidents last year, five of the victims were third-country nationals and four were Maltese.
The age profile of accident victims indicates that the highest proportion of cases occurred among workers aged 45–54 years (26.6%), followed closely by those aged 25–34 years (26.2%).
Workers aged 35–44 years accounted for 17.3%, while those aged 55–64 years represented 13.3%, highlighting a significant share of older workers.
Younger workers aged 15–24 years accounted for 5.2% of cases and only 0.7% involved workers aged 65 years and over.
No accidents involved workers under the age of 18. Age data was not specified in 10.7% of cases.