Labour MEP files question on Hexagon House

In his question, Grech refers to the Hexagon House saga in which hundreds of employees that work with the Malta Environment Planning Authority¹'s environment protection department have been suffering from health disorders due to the odours that permeate the building – a cause taken up by shadow environment minister Leo Brincat.

“Since the Department was transferred to Hexagon House, employees have experienced the presence of noxious odours and overall poor air quality in the building, resulting in many of the workers suffering from skin and eye allergies.

“The situation deteriorated to such an extent that at one point, employees’ unions ordered all employees to evacuate the building for an indefinite period, requesting management to commission reports and investigate thoroughly what remedial action needed taking,” Grech said.

MEPA management however had returned with the requested reports and ordered workers to report to work under threat of non-payment of salary.

Grech said that upon return employees began to react to their surroundings with several workers being taken ill with skin disorders, inflammation of the eyes and other allergies.

“These workers were referred to management-approved doctors. Furthermore, workers made actual complaints to management about these health problems. It seems this has merely led to these workers being offered a transfer within MEPA itself, with the new position being offered representing a demotion when compared to their former post.”

A report prepared by officials of MEPA’s Environmental Permitting and Industry Unit following two inspections held in March and April 2009 had called on the authorities to commence legal proceedings against Falzon Waste Oils, in connection with the illegal discharge of waste oil in the sewage network next to Hexagon House.

These reports were passed by MEPA to the Water Services Corporation (WSC) so that it could initiate legal action, but this recommendation was never implemented. Legal proceedings against the waste oils company were only commenced last week after Labour MP Leo Brincat filed a report to the police.

Brincat said that although parliamentary secretary for the environment Mario de Marco worked out of Hexagon House for roughly two months, “it is clear that he has not found the source of the inconvenience that has been dragging on for years… it is clear that he seemed more interested in indirectly throwing blame on a parastatal company than a private company that was taken to Court only days earlier on the PL’s insistence.”