Concerned citizens ‘should be sending photos to OHSA, not newspapers’

Citizens concerned about unsafe work practices should not be sending photos to the media without informing the Occupational Health and Safety Authority, the health and safety watchdog said today.

The OHSA appeared to take umbrage at photos which appeared in sections of the media, which reported unsafe work practices along a comment saying that one hoped “action would be taken by the Occupational Health and Safety Authority before not too late”.

“At no point did this reader deem it fit to actually inform the OHSA,” the OHSA said in a statement.

It was only “through sheer coincidence” that OHSA became aware of this online report. In view of the delay between the photos appearing online and the OHS Officers reaching the site, roughly at about 10.15 am, the ceiling had already been dismantled.

The officers have however taken enforcement actions as necessary.

“It is deplorable that someone was so ‘concerned’ that rather than contacting the OHSA and informing us accordingly about the situation, he felt it more ‘useful’ to contact the media. This resulted in a situation whereby a worker continued to be exposed to danger unnecessarily. This is totally unacceptable in this day and age. Had this person informed us immediately, we would have stopped the unsafe work before it was actually finished,” OHSA CEO Mark Gauci said.