So that Jean Paul’s death will not be in vain

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the tragic death of Jean Paul Sofia on a construction site at the Corradino Industrial Estate in December 2022.

It took a sustained campaign by Jean Paul’s mother, Isabelle Bonnici, to finally convince the government in mid-2023 to set up a public inquiry into her son’s death. A U-turn by Prime Minister Robert Abela, 48 hours after voting against the setting up of a public inquiry in parliament, paved the way for a probe that left no stone unturned in dissecting the construction industry.

The inquiry report was eventually published last year. It made for grim reading on the state of the industry and the manner by which it was regulated. Some of the problems were the result of legacy issues and the manner by which this sector was allowed to flourish on the mistaken belief that regulation would endanger it. The outcome, very often, was amateurism and its impact was deadly in several cases.

The public inquiry also made several recommendations that ranged from legal amendments to administrative changes to new regulations and licensing requirements for the construction sector. Government had immediately set up an inter-ministerial committee chaired by the Prime Minister’s head of secretariat to coordinate the implementation of the proposed measures. It was a good move.

Last Monday, parliament marked the first anniversary of the publication of the Sofia public inquiry report with government giving an update of the actions taken since then. The exercise was a welcome breath of fresh air because it showed that the recommendations of the public inquiry were not left to rot on a shelf. It showed that government was willing to react in a meaningful way to the excesses flagged by the public inquiry.

A lot has been achieved in the past 12 months to professionalise the construction sector and ensure better enforcement of regulations. Almost all the recommendations put forward in the inquiry report have been partially or fully implemented.

From the 39 recommendations put forward, 22% of the recommendations have been implemented in full, while 74% have been partially implemented.

According to information put forward by the inter-ministerial committee, a new helpline (138) that was set up for people affected by neighbouring construction works last year received an average of 94 phone calls per day. This on its own is testament to the lawlessness that had been allowed to prevail in the construction sector and which was impacting innocent individuals and workers.

The committee said that 20,000 inspections were conducted by the Building and Construction Authority last year. These resulted in 670 fines and 240 stop work notices being issued. Similarly, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority was beefed up and workplace inspections led to 550 fines being issued, 331 work suspensions and 960 notifications for improvements in workplace conditions.

Undoubtedly, more still needs to be achieved to ensure the sector continues to professionalise itself. Enforcement has to be consistent and ongoing. Work must continue to ensure that the measures that were partially implemented are brought to fruition as quickly as possible.

A lot has changed since that fateful December day when Jean Paul Sofia was crushed to death. The one thing that will never change is Jean Paul’s demise. It will always remain a painful experience for his parents, relatives and friends.

The only consolation society can have from this tragedy is that it led to a wave of change – thanks in part to the perseverance of Isabelle Bonnici in demanding a public inquiry – in an industry that had long been the realm of cowboys.

This leader hopes that government will continue to find the will to ensure the change continues even when it is resisted by those who feel they should continue being amateurs.

This leader hopes that the sector itself realises that health, safety and security of the workers it employs and the neighbours it inconveniences are more important than making a quick buck.

Society has a duty to ensure that Jean Paul, like others who lost their life because of bad practices in the construction sector, did not die in vain.