Few employers respecting health and safety guidelines

The number of employers respecting health and safety guidelines are, in effect, very few Occupational Health and Safety Authority CEO Dr Mark Gauci told The Malta Financial and Business Times.

In an interview with the man responsible for enforcing and implementing the occupational health and safety regulations, Dr Mark Gauci says enforcement is not a very easy task. A careless culture and a mentality that does not take the long-term benefits of occupational safety seriously are contributing to dangerous working environments across the country.

The enforcement of safe practices at work is also made difficult due to the nature of some industries, such as construction, a mobile industry which, by its very nature, makes enforcement more difficult. But although recognising the need to enforce the OHSA codes of practice, Dr Gauci still believes in education rather than assuming a police role with employers.

He says employers, who are fully responsible for providing a healthy and safe environment on the workplace, are more interested in ensuring cheaper costs rather than providing safer workplaces.

He talks about ways of preventing risks and what an employer’s obligations are. Dr Mark Gauci also talks about the OHSA’s roles and functions, and the projects they are currently involved in with European agencies.