During 2021, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) carried out over 4,000 inspections in various workplaces and issued 1,065 improvement notices, 574 stop orders and 780 administrative fines.

Minister for Public Works and Planning Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi visited the OHSA on the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. Having a strong OHS inspection system in place was a prerequisite for identifying cases of noncompliance, helping to rectify them, and preventing new cases, he said.

Open communication between workers and employers together with employee participation in occupational health and safety (OHS) matters leads to 64% fewer safety accidents and 58% less hospitalisations, according to findings by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

With the theme 'Act Together to Build a Positive Safety and Health Culture', this year's World Day for Safety and Health at Work particularly aims to highlight the concept that ensuring decent, safe and healthy working conditions and environments is everyone's responsibility and is simultaneously beneficial to all. Minister Zrinzo Azzopardi stressed that the key to such a safety and health culture is real and effective commitment from all stake holders and that social partners are key actors in initiatives, schemes and activities to promote, monitor and enforce compliance with relevant OHS regulations at the workplace.

"One should move away from the erroneous concept that a government authority had to act in this field for anyone to be instigated to do anything. Enforcement systems had to be supplemented by action from social partners," the government statement read.

"Employers and workers organisations were uniquely positioned to facilitate an open communication channel with employers and workers, provide information, training and advice, as well as encourage the exchange of experiences and strengthen collaboration among themselves."

Minister Zrinzo Azzopardi said that although social dialogue was a prerequisite for solid national OHS systems and effective preventive measures at the workplace, social partners needed to act in a concrete way for a quantum leap to take place.