1 / 16

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AUTHORITY

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AUTHORITY. Norman Spiteri Dip. Soc. Std. (OHS). Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA). Established in 2000 Started Operating in 2002 Before – Health and Safety Unit within Department of Labour… …and Commission for Promotion of OHS (Advisory Role).

vanna-wilkinson
Download Presentation

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AUTHORITY

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AUTHORITY Norman Spiteri Dip. Soc. Std. (OHS)

  2. Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) • Established in 2000 • Started Operating in 2002 • Before – Health and Safety Unit within Department of Labour… • …and Commission for Promotion of OHS (Advisory Role)

  3. OHSA Main Duties and Functions • To Establish Strategies and Coordinate Actions • Promote and Educate on OHS Matters • To Prepare Regulations and Guidance Information • To Ensure OHS is safeguarded by whosoever has such duty.

  4. Construction General Considerations • Construction is one of Europe’s: • Largest Industries • Over € 1000 Billion annual Turn Over • Most Dangerous • Estimated Three times more likely for Fatal Accidents • Estimated Twice the Likelihood of being Injured • In addition many workers suffer from Occupational acquired Diseases such as: • Musculoskeletal Disorders • Noise Induced Hearing Loss • Skin Problems • Etc…

  5. THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR COMMON CHALLENGES • High Risk Sector • Common shortcomings found on Construction sites • Non Management of Falls From Heights • Foreigners – Problem of Communication • Untrained, Unskilled Workforce • Deadlines, Time Frames and Resources • Non Coordination of work on sites • Little Investment by many Contractors = Outdated Equipment etc… • Besides Environmental and Social Impact…

  6. Main Source of Problems • No Holistic Approach to Building and Construction • Piecemeal Legislative and Regulatory approach • Entities and Authorities working Independently from one an other. • Example: Planning, OHS, Public Health, Environment, Civil Rights etc…

  7. Fatal Accidents in the Construction Sector • 52 Fatal accidents in total (2002 – 2008) • 38% Other sectors • 62% Construction sector of which 28% are Foreign workers

  8. Actions being taken By OHSA • Regulations – Legal Notices – Construction Ind. • Legal Notice 281 of 2004 • Legal Notice 379 of 2003 • Code of Practice for Building and Construction Industry Part I and II • Checklist (Visual) • Leaflets

  9. Actions being taken By OHSA • Various Training Courses for Construction Workers • Introduction to Health and Safety • Safety in Construction • Health and Safety Representative • First Aid • Risk Assessment • Own Staff Development • Seminars • Courses • 3 Twinning Projects which included construction awareness

  10. Actions being taken By OHSA • Media Exposure • T.V. Programmers • Local Radio Stations • Newspapers • Magazines • Press releases • Applied for European Social Funds 2007 - 2013 • Research in Health and Safety

  11. Actions being taken By OHSA • Involved in the Yearly European Campaigns • Stop that Noise • Lighten The Load • Safe Start • Risky Business • Safe on Site • Construction Campaigns • Scaffolding systems • Falls From Heights • Quarries • Routine Inspections

  12. Actions Taken By OHSA • Two Initiatives undertaken with Building Industry Consultation Council (BICC): • Safety Bus – Announced visits carried out by OHS Officer and Cameraman. Film edited and shown to workers on site • Technical Flaws: Demanding on OHSA Human Resources, expensive, Only Large construction sites visited • Way Forward: Sponsorship by Stakeholders!!! • Safety Card – Short awareness raising information session • Technical Flaws: Too time consuming, Little Tangible results • Way Forward: To Mainstream OHS into tradesmen courses

  13. OHSA Enforcement Actions • Over 2000 Inspections are carried out each year in the various sectors • Enforcement Action • Provision of Advice • Order issued under Act • To improve • To stop works (all or parts thereof) • Legal Action

  14. Actions by other Stakeholders and Duty Holders ??? OHSA is not the one-all and be-all, but only one from a long list of stakeholders

  15. Thank you for Your Attention

More Related