Minister for Justice and the Construction Sector Jonathan Attard on Monday addressed an informative session with stakeholders and representatives, to explain the new Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) law.
The Health and Safety at Work Bill was unanimously passed in Parliament last July, which was set to completely revamp the authority, and impose harsher penalties for workplace safety violations. The authority will also have the responsibility to propose legislative changes which reflect new realities.
The session was held with stakeholders and key representatives of both workers and employers, a government statement read.
In this session, a detailed explanation of the new law was provided, including roles, responsibilities, fines, penalties, and both administrative and criminal procedures under this law, which will introduce a more effective deterrent towards a culture of accountability.
Attard, along with CEO of the OHSA Josianne Cutajar, held an informative session for all participants, where they not only updated those present on the implementation of the new law but also answered the questions they were asked.
"The investment government is making primarily focuses on human resources to ensure that the authority is in a position to implement this new law in the best possible way, with a recruitment process underway, where in a few months there was an increase of almost 40% in the workforce," Attard said.
This is in addition to the new helpline service, 138, which is also a service related to workers' health and safety at work. This is a new means by which workers can not only report risks but also request information about aspects related to health and safety at work.
Attard said that the strong participation of stakeholders, not only in the public consultation process but also in informative sessions, confirms how widespread the appetite, interest, and willingness to raise the level in the sector is.
"I believe that this strong dialogue in the sector bodes well not only for the implementation and enforcement of the new law, but also to foster a culture of responsibility so that we can avoid workplace accidents as much as possible," Attard said.
Cutajar said that after 22 years, the country is witnessing an opportune moment where, while consultations were ongoing, an immediate analysis began on how to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
She also spoke about the importance of research, which the authority will be taking very seriously to continue raising its standards.
Among those present were Principal Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana and representatives from various public and private entities.
The OHSA also launched a new look, including a new logo that reflects the renewal of the Authority, which government said will be sending a message of continuous commitment to society regarding health and safety in the workplace, in the best interest of safeguarding every worker in every aspect of the workplace.