OHSA takes action after reports of dangers at Carlo Stivala Sliema site

The workplace safety watchdog has said it acted promptly after workers were seemingly spotted without harnesses on the roof of a 15-storey Carlo Stivala construction site in Sliema on Monday.

The developer confirmed that inspectors had visited the site, but stressed that they found “no major issues” and all workers were equipped with safety equipment.

The construction rises 15 storey. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

On Monday, readers reached out to Times of Malta with safety concerns about workers on the roof of Stivala’s controversial hotel development on the corner of Triq ix-Xatt and Triq il-Lunzjata near Sliema ferries.

Photos taken from street level appeared to show workers operating on the top floor and roof of the development without safety harnesses as winds of up to 20 kilometres per hour buffeted the country.

When contacted, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) said that “Upon receiving complaints... [it] treated the matter with urgency and immediately dispatched health and safety officers to the site”.

"Several deficiencies were identified, and appropriate actions were taken,” it said, without providing further information about the issues identified. Further investigations were ongoing, it added.

Stivala told Times of Malta the OHSA had found “all workers wearing harnesses, helmets and uniforms; they found everything 100%”.

Safety inspectors visited the site twice Monday, and found “only small things but nothing major,” he said, explaining such issues included a fire extinguisher left in the wrong place and a nail missing from a railing. 

“That’s why they let us continue – if they discover something major, they issue a stop works order immediately,” said Stivala, adding it was “impossible” to accurately judge the situation on the roof from street level.

Stivala stressed the workers were securely attached. Photo: Carlo Stivala.

The developer insisted the metal rods were strong enough to support a worker's weight in the event of an accident. Photo: Carlo Stivala.

Photo: Carlo Stivala.

Quizzed on photos showing workers tethered to metal rods poking up from the floor of the roof level, Stivala insisted the rods were strong enough to support a worker’s weight, stressing the rods were part of the building’s steel structure.

This is not the first time the construction site has hit the headlines in recent weeks due to safety concerns; last month, cars were forced to drive underneath a concrete bucket left dangling over Triq il-Lunzjata with nobody present to stop traffic or move the crane.

The incident took place just five days after the development was approved, to the chagrin of activists who argued the building’s height and aesthetics stood out in stark relief to its surroundings.

A month earlier, the contractor operating the site was fined just €1,500 after illegally closing nearby Triq San Vincenz – where Stivala also plans to build a second 15-floor hotel – to install a crane being used for the development on Triq il-Lunzjata.

A couple of weeks ago, the Planning Authority postponed a decision on the second hotel development – which has been recommended for approval – asking Stivala to remove two rooms from the proposal to reduce its impact on the Urban Conservation Area.