The front page photograph in yesterday’s issue of The Malta Independent daily, shows just how careless workers and employees can be in terms of health and safety while on the job.

Malta has always had a pretty bad track record when it comes to taking precautions while at work. One wonders whether it is a case of bravado, or whether it is simple negligence and carelessness. But the case highlighted yesterday, where a worker was doing drilling work on the Ġużè Ellul Mercer Bridge is a classic example of bad safety practices at work.

There is at least a two-storey drop to road level, and the worker was riveting or drilling holes without being hooked up to a safety harness. To be fair, some workers were using harnesses, but one clearly wasn’t and took a big risk in doing so. It was also satisfying to note that the Occupational Health and Safety Authority took immediate action to investigate the case.

Both major unions, the General Workers’ Union and the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin, have consistently spoken about the issue and have also organised training seminars and information sessions for workers, as well as employers, but clearly, awareness is lacking.

It seems to be an ingrained culture; one only needs to look at housewives and maids who are washing balconies and cleaning windows, hanging on for dear life as they reach out to clean harder to reach places. Also, it is an open secret that foreign workers tend to be less educated, and take less precautions than others.

What people must realise is that in taking such risks, they might very well end up paralysed or dead. It has happened many times before, and until people start wearing proper protective gear and using harnesses, incidents will continue.

Data collected by the OHSA showed that the number of non-fatal accidents at work decreased by 9.4% in the fourth quarter last year in comparison to the corresponding period in 2009. But still, according to the same statistics, 736 people had an accident at work during the period under review (3,270 accidents in total, and three fatalities in 2010). The largest number of accidents (915) took place in the third quarter. No fatal accidents at work were reported in the last quarter of 2010. During the same period in 2009 there were three fatalities.

In the European region covered by the World Health Organisation, poor working conditions result in a total of 300,000 work-related deaths and economic losses of 4% of the gross domestic product of the European region every year. We must continue to work hard to minimise such accidents and prevent them, rather than deal with the outcome.