The government should ensure that at industries such as Multigas and others, rigorous work practices should be in place to ensure the safety of workers and people living nearby, said Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Labour Party spokesperson for social solidarity. She was referring to an accident at Multigas earlier this week where an explosion caused structural damage at the factory.

Ms Coleiro Preca said the government vaunted its creation of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority but this was not sufficiently well equipped to inspect workplaces, especially ones which entailed more danger than others.

She went on to ask how many inspections had the authority conducted at Multigas, especially when this had been transferred only a few years ago to a stone’s throw from a residential area in Kirkop.

She also wondered how the Malta Environment and Planning Authority had issued all the necessary permits to Multigas notwithstanding the protests of Kirkop residents in 2002.