Employers want further clarity on health and safety law

The Malta Employers Association said it wants more clarity on the new Health and Safety Bill unanimously approved by parliament this week.

“Companies need to know at the outset what background, position, academic qualifications and terms of reference such persons need to have before a HSRO is nominated,” the Malta Employers Association (MEA) said.

Among other changes, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority will be completely revamped, and will have the responsibility to propose legislative amendments to reflect new realities. The OHSA will be led by a Board of Governors.

While welcoming the legislative changes, the MEA believes that further consultation is required to ensure the Bill provides full clarity to the business community.

The MEA stated that, ‘‘it is not convinced that the legislative changes on their own can truly address the priority problem areas it is seeking to address unless the above points are made amply clear.’’ It believes that unless this proposed legislation is implemented properly, consistently and in a targeted manner it will not address risk and the avoidance of occupational hazards.

The MEA has also raised concerns with respect to the reporting lines of the Executive and the need for the CEO of the Authority to operate with full political independence.

Prime Minister Robert Abela had described the new Health and Safety Bill in parliament as "revolutionary and detailed", stating that it creates a new legal framework to prevent workplace accidents. 

However, Opposition MP Stanley Zammit stated that “rushing a Bill through parliament was not the solution” and that the government had initially refused to hold a public inquiry into the Jean Paul Sofia construction site death, only doing so eight months later due to public outcry.

‘‘To ensure full benefit in terms of minimizing occupational hazards and health and safety risks, the MEA continues to insist on employee disclosure clauses which it notes are absent in the Bill,” the MEA concluded.