BCA carried out 12,098 scheduled site inspections in 2026 so far

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) carried out 12,098 scheduled inspections on construction sites between January and 5 October this year, a parliamentary reply has shown.

In parliament on Wednesday, MP Rebekah Borg asked the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Jonathan Attard, who said the authority's staffing stood at 24 as of the date of his answer.

Borg had asked for a year-by-year breakdown of BCA site inspections since 2024. She also asked how many followed a complaint or report, how many were scheduled or unannounced, and how many officers carry out the work.

According to the minister's data, in 2024, there were only 12,759 inspections.

In 2025, the BCA carried out 3,314 inspections after a complaint or report, of which 848 were on call. It also carried out 8,887 scheduled inspections and 2,065 unannounced ones.

Nine workers died in workplace accidents in Malta and Gozo during 2025, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Authority's (OHSA) Annual Report, which was tabled in parliament by Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Works Jonathan Attard in July.

The 2026 figures run only to 5 October, but several already exceed last year's totals. Scheduled inspections stand at 12,098, against 8,887 in all of 2025. Unannounced inspections number 2,143, against 2,065.

In December 2022, 20-year-old Jean Paul Sofia, died after a three-storey building he was working in collapsed during works.

Inspections after a complaint or report number 3,240 this year, of which 713 were on call. That compares with 3,314 for the whole of 2025.

The Building and Construction Authority announced in September that people whose properties are damaged as a result of construction activity will be eligible for financial assistance through a new mechanism from 1 November.