OHSA makes strides – report

An evaluation exercise conducted in October, on behalf of the European Commission, found that the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) has made great improvements on all fronts since its last evaluation in 2009.

The evaluation was carried out by representatives of the Senior Labour Inspectors Committee (SLIC). The eight-person-strong evaluation team was headed by Finland and included members from Estonia, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Lithuania. According to OHSA, during their five-day evaluation, the team analysed its policies and operations, written and practical procedures and accompanied OHS Officers during their mundane inspections.

Head of delegation Raimo Antila reportedly said, however, that the authority’s resources, be they financial, human and technical support are out of proportion to the duties and functions assigned to OHSA. “Although OHSA’s resources have been increased slightly, there remains room for improvement,” OHSA said in a statement.

The report is said to state that safety culture is promoted well in Maltese society. The evaluators noted that OHSA had taken plenty of communication initiatives and has excellent cooperation with different stakeholders in Malta. “OHSA is committed to this promotion mission and has had an important role in this development,” OHSA said.

Additionally, legislation was reportedly deemed comprehensive and in compliance with the EU legislation and SLIC common principles. “The report noted that the strategy and annual rolling plan of OHSA are comprehensive and they fulfil the requirements of the EU strategic framework of health and safety at work 2014-2020 and the SLIC common principles for labour inspection,” OHSA said, adding that the enforcement procedures were described as well defined and the inspectors as competent and professional.

“We were humbled by the praise towards OHSA’s leadership as well as the managerial and administrative systems in place at OHSA which allow it to fulfill its full range of responsibilities,” Mark Gauci, the Chief Executive Officer of OHSA, said.

The evaluators made a number of recommendations, including the need for an integrated IT system, better resourcing for OHSA, and the need to make public all OHSA’s enforcement procedures.