One of the primary legal obligations of all employers is to secure the health and safety of all workers. Fostering a proactive and preventative work culture at the place of work is pivotal in this regard.
Following the enactment of the new legislation in occupational health and safety last year in Malta, The Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) launched the national campaign ‘Every Worker Counts’ last December.
This year it continues with its activities which aim to raise awareness amongst key stakeholders and the general public about the importance of having an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Policy and advocating the value of conducting a risk assessment in all workplaces. These takes will help identify potential workplace risks and provide the necessary measures which need to be undertaken to overcome such risks.
During the next few months, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) Malta has embarked on a mission to equip employers and employees with the necessary knowledge about the importance of conducting risk assessments at work and having OHS policies in place.
Speaking about this issue, CEO at Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) Dr Josianne Cutajar explained, “Developing a strong workplace safety culture has the single greatest impact on accident reduction of any workplace practice. Data supports this hypothesis. A safety culture begins from the top. Employers must comprehend the importance of fostering work prevention strategies and one of the most important tools in doing so is the risk assessment. Employers should embrace a vision zero philosophy, aiming for zero accidents and illness on the workplace through comprehensive prevention measures.”
We must not ignore the elephant in the room, every place of work has its own health and safety risks. Risks are not associated to one industry or another, but diverse risks are present across different industries.
Risks may be physical ones like poor air quality or noise which can hinder the employee’s overall health and productivity. One can also mention risks related to workers working in high-risk industries such as falls from high places, and working with heavy machinery, especially in the construction sector.
There are also chemical risks which may include workers’ exposure to hazardous substances. These may include carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic chemicals. These chemicals can be easily found in chemical, and pharmaceutical industries.
Biological risks are organic substances that present a threat to the health of people and other living organisms. These risks can be easily found in health clinics and hospitals. A clear example of a biological risk presented to workers within these industries was the COVID-19 virus.
One can also mention Ergonomic risks which refer to risks that can cause wear and tear on the body. These risks, amongst others, can cause musculoskeletal disorders due to awkward postures, especially in poorly designed office settings.
Psychosocial risks like bullying, harassment, heavy workloads, poor mental health support at work, and lack of reward and recognition at work may all foster a work environment that can cause stress, strain, or interpersonal problems for the worker.
To ensure health and safety in the workplace, information about the identities and hazards of these various risks must be available and understandable to workers and risk management policies should be in place to eliminate such risks.
Employers are legally obliged to eliminate and control such risks in line with the established principles of prevention as per (Cap 646, Art 12 (2)). A risk assessment helps earmark and eliminate such risks from the place of work through three key aspects. Firstly, through the identification of hazards and the workers exposed to the resulted risks Secondly, a risk assessment provides comprehension on how these are affecting the workers. Finally, a risk assessment helps in eliminating and controlling risks through the provision of direct implementation measures.
The risk assessment must be done by competent professionals related to the hazards at work. For example, a competent electrical engineer is not competent on hazardous chemicals therefore a scientific expert in biochemistry is needed to carry a risk assessment on this matter. The worker should always be involved and consulted about the risk assessments and resulting control measures to be implemented.
Importantly, one must note that employers are obliged as per (Cap 646, Art 12, (5) to provide a general policy related to health and safety on the workplace. Such policy should clearly explain the measures in place to protect the health and safety of the workers on the place of work. In turn workers should be able to review the health and safety policy set out by the employer and make sure that all measures are always adhered to.
The Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) offers diverse informational courses aimed to equip workers and employers with the necessary knowledge about various issues related to health and safety on the workplace.
Interested applicants can visit the OHSA website: https://www.ohsa.mt/courses for more information and to apply online.
Every worker counts. This is why the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) is committed to working with all major stakeholders to address why and how these risks could be mitigated and eliminated from the place of work, for the benefit of the workers, and the employers themselves. Eliminating such risks will help in boosting employee confidence and strengthening the local workforce.