At a conference entitled Fire Safety in Maltese Buildings, Mr Zammit spoke of the important role played by building design when talking about safety.

Everyone in the industry must abide by regulations. Quality and technique and must be merged together to provide safe dwellings.

Mr Zammit urged the Building Industry Consultative Council (BICC) and the Building Construction Industry Department (BCID), which collaborated in the organisation of the conference, to publish guidelines on various aspects of the new building regulations by consolidating the work that was done to draw up the new bill of law on the subject.

There is a greater demand for complex buildings requiring a more intricate electrical system, thus making them more susceptible to fire, said Mr Zammit.

To provide greater security against fire, measures need to be taken in certain areas of construction. Ventilation, emergency lights, alarm systems and various other elements must be a priority in construction to create a safe building, he said.

Although rules and regulations help with this initiative, they are not enough, said Mr Zammit. The mentality must change.

The minister said the Maltese often let things escalate and incidents come about before anything is done about the situation.

If everyone pulls together this can change and the work that is done with sacrifice and dedication can stand the test of time and not be destroyed in a flash, the minister concluded.

Experts in the field of fire safety also addressed the gathering to explain, among other things, the measures that must be taken during building construction and give basic fire training.

The conference was organised by the Resources and Infrastructure Ministry in collaboration with the BICC and BCID.