Chamber of Commerce says Health and Safety at Work Act is ‘a possible step forward’
On Monday, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry described the Health and Safety at Work Act as a “possible step forward,” calling for active enforcement.
It also said that after meeting parliamentarians last week, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry has stated that occupational health and safety across the Maltese islands can be improved through “proactive enforcement” and through the timely drafting of corresponding legal notices, “without unnecessary procrastination.”
The Malta Chamber voiced its opinion as to how the government can improve health and safety at the workplace through amended legislation. In its statement published on Monday, the Chamber noted that laws and regulations must address abuse and that “enforcement must be carried out in a proactive and timely manner.” It also reasserted its commitment to continue participating and engaging in all consultation stages.
“In order to achieve meaningful legislation there must be proper engagement with representatives of both employers and employees, ideally around the same table,” the Chamber said.
In its statement, the Malta Chamber said that its position supports robust health and safety regulations as well as “standards that prevent accidents and death.” It also urged government to “make better use of the MCESD,” since “this is a matter of relevance to both employers and employees, as well as to civil society.”
The legislation referenced in this statement makes reference to the Health and Safety at Work Act that is being discussed by policymakers.
The Malta Chamber had put forward its recommendations for the newly introduced role of Health & Safety Reporting Officer (HSRO).
The Chamber of Commerce’s recommendations called for clarity on the applicability of this role and suggested against HSROs becoming a blanket requirement depending on the size and nature of a business.
“The HSRO role should not be a blanket requirement based solely
on the nature of the business and its size as originally proposed, but should be dependent on the risk inherent in the nature of the work and how it is being executed,” the Chamber said while discussing the related Bill.
The Malta Chamber believes that the role of HSRO “should be imposed to address repeated abuses and to curb irresponsible practices by high-risk operators who systematically try to get away with it.”
The original Bill had implied this role for “large businesses and certain industries” without defining the criteria for a large business or what industries were being referred to, the Chamber added. It had also proposed for all subject operators to be obliged to introduce an HSRO, which the Chamber said “would have been unfair on operators” due to personnel costs, which “fully comply with existing health and safety obligations and adopt a proactive approach to risk management.”
Its final point on the HSRO role questioned how this position will interact with the already existing Health and Safety officer/practitioner for companies. It iterated its concern that “accidents keep happening” and pinned this on “some businesses [who] do not adhere to the existing obligations.”
Moreover, the Malta Chamber called for the relevant Authority to carry out “proactive and properly co-ordinated enforcement” no matter how HSROs are introduced.
It concluded its statement by adding that the next steps forward for the betterment of this sector centre around government’s proactive enforcement, powered by proper digitalisation to promote information sharing.