Malta beats new EU states in health and safety record

Malta "fares well" in its level of occupational health and safety compared to the new EU member states and candidate countries, according to a survey by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.

Quoting the statistics, Occupational Health and Safety Authority chairman Joanna Drake said only 20 per cent of Maltese workers suffer from fatigue, compared to 41 per cent of workers in the new member states and candidate countries and 23 per cent in the EU-15.

The study also shows that while the average number of working hours in the new member states and candidate countries is 44.4, in Malta it amounts to 40.4 - just over the 38.3 hours in the EU-15.

Moreover, 38 per cent of workers in the new member states and candidate countries work more than 45 hours per week, compared to 24 per cent in Malta and 21 per cent in the EU-15.

As regards unsocial working hours - night or shift work - these are more prevalent in the new member states and candidate countries (21 per cent) and the EU-15 (19 per cent) than in Malta (17 per cent).

Quoting the survey, the director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, said Malta was "even better than the EU average in terms of stress at work" and fatal occupational accidents were low in comparison to other EU countries.

Dr Drake said the statistics were encouraging and showed that Malta was "on the right track" - a fact that was also recognised during a peer review exercise carried out by representatives of the EU's Committee of Senior Labour Inspectors (SLIC).

The authority passed the committee's analysis of the inspection and legal systems in the area of occupational health and safety with "flying colours" and only Malta and Cyprus received such a positive feedback, Dr Drake said.

Malta, however, still had a long way to go despite the fact that the volume of legislation in occupational health and safety has more than doubled in a short period of time.

Workplace inspections and enforcement of legislation are on the increase due to the appointment of OHS officers and statistics show a progressively downward trend in occupational accidents.

However, they still happen too frequently, Dr Drake said, referring to last week's "awful tragedy" in which a St Paul's Bay apartment block collapsed, claiming two lives.

"Many workers still feel they are untouchable and play Russian roulette with their lives every single day, while many employers still consider OHS to be a financial burden, rather than a viable investment," she said.

Mr Konkolewsky, who yesterday addressed a public talk on Occupational Health and Safety in the 21st Century, said the main challenge ahead for Malta was to ensure that legal standards were converted into real improvements in working conditions.

The agency congratulated the OHSA on its success in setting up a tripartite national information network to promote safer and healthier working conditions.

Mr Konkolewsky pointed out "the good work being done, a competent authority in place, a commitment by the politicians and a high interest on the part of the media, which contributes to the prevention culture" he promotes.

OHSA chief executive officer Mark Gauci said one of the major problems was the lack of effective social partner participation in the OHS area. Although the transposition of EU legislation has been achieved on paper, it had to be translated into real action, he said, calling for concerted action.

The OHSA has been invited to be part of the SLIC delegation to evaluate two of the "old" EU member states, Dr Gauci said.

The authority was assisting in the investigations into the collapse of the apartment block last week but he could not elaborate as the inquiry was still underway.

Together with Dr Gauci and the Parliamentary Secretary in the Communications and Competitiveness Ministry, Edwin Vassallo, Mr Konkolewsky inaugurated an exhibition, Building in Safety, in line with the theme of European Week 2004, at the Exchange Buildings, in Valletta, which will remain open until June 18.

It was pointed out that higher safety and health standards in Europe's construction industry could save up to 1,200 lives each year and avoid over 800,000 serious injuries, saving up to €75 billion a year.

Mr Vassallo said construction was still a high-risk area in Malta, accounting for 12 per cent of occupational accidents last year.

Given Malta's particular situation, with directives having to be transposed in a specific way and the short-term investment having a large impact on small and medium enterprises, Malta could do with more assistance from the agency, he said, calling for financial aid.