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Julian Manduca
When 17 year old Frank John Fenech, from Luqa lost his life June 18 at a construction site in Censu Xerri Street, Sliema one could easily have logged it as yet another accident in what seems to be a monthly occurrence, but MaltaToday is informed that the site has proved to be accident prone, with two further near fatal accidents on the site over the past months.
The Occupation, Health and Safety Authority has been and continues to investigate the death, but was not informed of any the other accidents - something which is the responsibility of the construction company.
MaltaToday is informed that besides the fatal accident, others occurred in early June, and on July 9 and 14, and an employee at a school nearby, who preferred not to be named for fear of reactions from the construction workers, told this newspaper: “there were five accidents in all. The first one was minor: a worker on a plank fell from a low height of about one storey and was only slightly hurt and dazed. He was not wearing a harness or a hat.”
“Two of us saw the second accident,” another staff member at the school told MaltaToday, “I was in a classroom when I suddenly saw a man fall. He was five storeys up and working in a small shaft near the classroom window. There was a lot of noise and I thought he had fallen to his death. I screamed and shouted for help. Luckily the man managed to hold on to the rope and did not fall more than a few feet. He was pulled in by the other construction workers, but was not wearing a harness or a hat.”
According to the employees several of them approached the foreman on the construction site to ask why the workers were not wearing harnesses and sometimes not even hats despite the hard hat sign visible for all, but were met with a curt reply: “the workers do not want to wear them.”
The words reverberated in their ears when they heard that young Frank Fenech had fallen to his death, apparently walking on a single plank and carrying pipes from one window to another. At the construction site today several planks are laid across the scaffolding at higher levels, but when Fenech died there was only one plank to support him.
Details about another accident July 9 remain sketchy as they were reported by neighbours to other employees at the school, but neither that accident, nor the last one to occur was reported in the media.
The last accident on Wednesday 14 July was the next near fatal one when a worker fell from the third floor in full view of about twenty students who were on break. “He was lying in a pool of blood and the marks are still there today. I stayed with him until the ambulance arrived,” said yet another school staff member.
After the accident, it was noticed that other workers removed the plank from where the worker fell and placed it adjacent to a plank on the second storey and employees at the school overheard the workers saying the plank was moved “because of the insurance.”
Now students and employees at the school are literally asking each other “Waiting for another one to fall?” during their breaks and one told MaltaToday Friday: “I Was smoking outside a few minutes ago and saw a worker on a plank, two storeys high, wearing a hard hat and a harness, but it wasn’t tied to anything. He then put one foot on the ledge of the balcony, one hand stretched out on to the metal scaffolding across, and proceeded to push the board with his other foot closer to the balcony!! We're almost afraid to look their way!!”
Attempts this week to reach the company that built the block of flats proved futile, after messages were left at the company’s office were not returned by the directors.
When MaltaToday asked the OHS Authority what action it was taking about the construction site in question the reply was: “the site mentioned had been visited both before the accident happened, and after.
“In all instances, a number of orders were issued and repeat visits were carried out to ensure compliance. At the time of the last visit, all open edges had been closed off, and other measures taken to reduce the likelihood of accidents.
“OHSA records do not show any other reports of injuries or accidents at the mentioned site. The Employer has the legal obligation to notify the authority of those cases resulting in a fatal accident or a serious injury as stipulated by the relevant legislation. In all other cases including near misses there is no legal obligation to report.”
The OHSA told this newspaper that accidents on the job were on the decrease but: “With regards to the construction sector, the gross numbers remain high, but that has to be seen within the context of a larger number of construction projects, which has dramatically increased over recent years.”
MaltaToday pressed the OHS to state what action was being taken when it is known that construction companies are not following regulations as they should.
“The first step is that the attention of the employers on site is drawn to the shortcomings. These employers are given a time-frame in which to rectify the situation which varies according to the degree of risk involved. A follow-up inspection is then carried out to verify that action would have been taken. If it so results that the orders given were not followed, legal action is then taken against the said employer.
“One major difficulty in this area concerns the deterrent function of the penalties being meted out by the Courts of Law – a suspended sentence or a fine of Lm250 regarding unsafe work practices on a project costing millions of Liri does not serve as a suitable deterrent for employers. The Authority is currently working on introducing a system of administrative fines. Once launched, the efficiency and efficacy of the system will be evaluated, with a view to proposing changes to the Act, if the system is deemed not to have the desired effect in bringing about change.”
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