Petition for safer fireworks rules gathers more than 2,200 signatures
Petitioner says Malta should preserve feast traditions while introducing stricter safety controls
A petition calling for safer fireworks regulations has gathered more than 2,200 signatures following Monday’s explosion at a fireworks factory in Salina.
On Thursday afternoon, the petition had more than 2,200 signatures. It calls on the government to urgently review the laws regulating the manufacture, storage, transport and use of fireworks in Malta and Gozo.
The petition’s founder, engineer Elfrem Borg, said he was not calling for fireworks to be banned.
“I am not calling for a ban at all, I believe in our culture and would like to see it supported, but I don’t think there should be carte blanche for this sector.”
Borg said he wanted a safer, more balanced and more sustainable approach that protects human life, public safety, community well-being, animal welfare and the environment.
The petition suggests limits on the duration of fireworks displays, with priority given to the main feast day and the eve of the celebration.
It also calls for an independent expert review of the fireworks sector, with recommendations aimed at reducing risks while preserving cultural heritage.
Borg said one way to achieve this would be to set up a regulator for the sector. Such a body could carry out more frequent inspections, introduce stricter safety requirements and impose stronger penalties for breaches.
He said one of the main concerns was that fireworks displays were becoming longer and more intense with competition between fireworks clubs increasing both the duration and intensity of displays, as each club tried to outdo the other.
“Everyone is trying to one-up one another, and ironically, they are often dedicated to the same saint.”
He said this was particularly evident during the Santa Marija weekend, when several localities mark the feast with fireworks displays, each trying to be bigger and better than the one before it.
While Borg said the tradition should be protected, he also called for more innovation in the sector. The petition suggests the gradual introduction of low-noise fireworks, silent pyrotechnics, drone light displays, laser shows and other technologies.
Borg, who works in the tech sector, said Malta had the talent to develop alternatives that could complement traditional fireworks.
“The artistry we could come up with for drones could be amazing. We have so much talent in Malta, I am sure that if we put our minds to it, it could be incredible.”
The petition clearly outlines that it is not against village feasts, band clubs, fireworks enthusiasts or volunteers.
“We therefore respectfully request that parliament and the relevant authorities initiate the necessary consultations and legislative reforms without delay,” concluded the petition.
The petition was created on June 1, the same day a powerful explosion, followed by a series of smaller blasts, rocked the Salina area after the Lourdes Fireworks Factory on Triq il-Qadi blew up.
The explosion sent a thick plume of smoke into the air and damaged several properties. Two men who were working in nearby fields were taken to the hospital and treated for shock and slight injuries. Several animals were killed in the blast.
On Thursday afternoon, the Prime Minister, Robert Abela, confirmed he would publish the magisterial inquiry into the explosion if the magistrate clears it for publication.