Seven in 10 workplace safety inspections find wrongdoing, new OHSA figures show
Watchdog plans increased scrutiny in sectors with lower compliance rates
Seven in 10 workplace safety inspections outside the construction industry uncover wrongdoing, according to new figures.
In total, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority conducted almost 24,000 inspections last year, more than double the inspections it carried out in 2024.
Data presented by the OHSA chief executive Josianne Cutajar show that around 70% of non-construction inspections flag some form of non-compliance.
But in construction, the picture is improving. Cutajar said 73% of building sites inspected last year were found to be in line with the law, pointing to a significant rise in compliance.
She put the change down to tougher enforcement.
“In construction, there has been a large increase in inspections, which has meant enforcement increased and therefore compliance has followed,” Cutajar told Times of Malta.
New rules have also played a part, she said, with worksites now required to appoint a qualified and experienced project supervisor, a move she says has pushed standards up.
“In other sectors where our efforts have been less intensive, compliance and conformity were not so high,” she said.
The watchdog is now planning to widen its net.
Worksites now required to appoint a qualified and experienced project supervisor, a move that has pushed standards up- OHSA chief executive Josianne Cutajar
“We need to increase inspection efforts in the other sectors,” she said, adding that the OHSA is offering free health and safety training to small and medium-sized businesses and the self-employed.
“That will also increase compliance,” she said.
Cutajar said nine in 10 inspections are carried out at random, with the remainder triggered by complaints.
And the breaches can be serious.
“A retail outlet can have its emergency exit blocked, which is a grave issue, or another workplace may not have a risk assessment, which is also a major issue,” she said.
Cutajar said that the self-employed and small and medium-sized businesses often fail to have a health and safety risk assessment.
She called for more training across the board and the introduction of skills cards to improve compliance.
During an OHSA-Times of Malta business breakfast held last week, Cutajar said a skills card needs to be introduced in every sector and industry to ensure that workers have enough health and safety knowledge.