In a letter, the OHSA said that the order was being issued in view of “serious risks to (the employees’) health”. The order will only be revoked after a risk assessment is compiled and acted upon.
The letter was sent to Permanent Secretary within the Finance Ministry Paul Zahra. But the Forensic Laboratory also comes under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister’s Office (which is responsible for the Finance Ministry), the Information Techn-ology and Investment Ministry, which owns the building from where the lab operates, and the Justice and Home Affairs Ministry.
The letter was issued following an inspection carried out last Friday at the Forensic Lab, situated in Evans Building, Valletta. The inspection was carried out by Occupational Health and Safety Officer Cedric Camilleri in the presence of two of the three employees at the Forensic Lab: pharmacist Mario Mifsud and scientific officer Godwin Sammut. Serologist Robert Cardona was not present.
The OHSA said that “... in view of the serious risks to health, you are being ordered to stop all work being carried out in rooms where exhibits are being sorted, as well as any work being carried out at the GC-MS laboratory.”
The letter goes on to explain that the order comes into effect immediately and will only be revoked after a risk assessment has been carried out. According to the letter, the risk assessment must outline all suitable, sufficient and systematic measures which should be taken to reduce occupational health and safety hazards. It should clearly outline the risks which may be present both while work at the laboratory is being carried out as well as afterwards.
Moreover, the OHSA said, the risk assessment must be carried out by a competent person and should include the recommendations of an electrical engineer regarding the electrical installations in the premises.
The forensic experts have long been complaining about the lack of adequate equipment and resources to carry out their job professionally.
In a letter distributed to all magistrates and the Attorney General Silvio Camilleri on 3 September, the forensic experts complained about the state of the Forensic Laboratory, adding that they could not continue working in such conditions.
They said they could not carry out the work ordered by the court because of the state of the laboratory and the lack of adequate equipment.
In order not to stop or slow down court work, they said, they had continued working in miserable conditions, even buying chemicals and other important items with their own money, in the hope that the situation would improve.
However, they said, the situation had become unbearable and they could not continue working in such an environment. They explained to the magistrates that the state of the lab had put their health and safety at work in jeopardy because of the lack of adequate equipment.
As examples, the experts mentioned fume cabinets and biological cabinets which offered them no protection while they were carrying out tests requested by the court.
The experts said that because of the situation at the lab, they are not able to carry out their work in a professional manner, and will not be able to do so until matters improve.
At the forensic lab there is only one microscope, which is around 20 years old, and there are no proper electricity fittings. The experts had to work in the room where court exhibits are stored, which usually include blood-stained clothing, blood samples and other potentially infectious items.
The staff are not even supplied with surgical gloves and masks to afford them protection from any infection or disease.
The Malta Independent yesterday tried to obtain permission for its staff to take photos at the Forensic Lab, in order to show its readers what the experts are complaining about.
However, an email to Permanent Secretary within the Finance Ministry Paul Zahra resulted in a telephone call in which we were informed that the Permanent Secretary of the Investments and Information Technology Ministry John Gatt could give us the necessary permission.
We attempted to contact Mr Gatt but he is on leave. Joe Mamo, who is acting for him, asked us to contact Mr Gatt today. We await a favourable reply.
Meanwhile, The Malta Independent also sent a number of questions to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The answer we received is the following: “Government is addressing the issues that have been raised. During the past weeks, the Justice and Home Affairs Ministry, the Industry, Investments and Information Technology Ministry and the Finance Ministry have taken stock of the situation and submitted recommendations that will be evaluated in the coming days during a meeting that will be chaired by the Prime Minister. In the meantime, the MIITI has asked the Management Efficiency Unit to evaluate the role of the Malta National Laboratory which was intended to consolidate laboratory services across government.”
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