The need for a complete and holistic reform of the building and construction industry has never been greater, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry said on Friday.

In a statement, it referred to Thursday’s “shocking” construction incident at Cospicua, in which a worker lost his life and another was critically injured. 

It was the fourth construction-related fatality this year, the Chamber said. 

“The country cannot accept these fatalities as collateral damage of a successful industry,” it said.

The Chamber said actions taken since the number of serious building collapses reported in 2019 have not delivered any value.  

It said it had been consistent in its calls for reform, regulation, discipline, and tangible actions. “Every day of inaction is another additional day of risk for the industry,” it said.

The Chamber pointed out that it also referred to the matter in its Economic Vision for Malta 2020-2025, where it proposed that the government should take immediate corrective action and impose the agreed-upon sanctions in the event of malpractice or abuse of the new construction regulations.

This would show that the reforms have drawn an unwavering line across the previous laissez-faire approach to construction.

It also proposed that the construction industry be regulated by the state.

Stringent criteria would be established for the provision of operating licences to constructors so that the industry carried out the related reforms and invested to reach the standards present in other EU states.

The Chamber proposed that the new Building and Construction Authority should be equipped with the appropriate resources and tools, and a strong enforcement function. It proposed that the Planning Authority (PA) and the Environment and Resources Authority had their enforcement functions strengthened, with a robust spatial planning capacity established within the PA.

“It is more than clear that this latest useless loss of life is the result of the failure of a poor regulatory system, as all that the current laws, regulations, and systems in place are falling short from ascertaining the safety of workers, residents, third-party properties and the peace of mind of our people.”