The man injured in an explosion inside St Michael’s fireworks factory in Lija, Anthony Farrugia, is a member of the Pyrotechnics Commission which is expected to issue recommendations to the home affairs minister on fireworks safety, this newspaper has learnt.
Farrugia, 51, an AFM warrant officer from Lija, is the Pyrotechnics Federation’s representative on the commission created by minister Tonio Borg last March to report on current practices in fireworks factories, and to make recommendations on the location of the factories, as well as the storage and transport of pyrotechnics.
Farrugia suffered life-threatening injuries in an accident which took place inside the same factory which the Explosives Committee - the official body of explosives experts from the armed forces, the civil protection department and the police force – had in 2004 recommended to close down, because it does not respect the minimum legal safety distance from built-up areas, posing danger to nearby residents and property.

But instead of taking action on the Explosives Committee’s recommendations – among which was the closure of the St Michael’s factory in Lija, Tonio Borg’s own constituency, as well as the Sant’ Andrija factory in Luqa – the minister set up a new pyrotechnics commission to make fresh recommendations, which are expected later this week.
Farrugia was working inside St Michael’s fireworks factory in Lija at about 2.40pm on Monday when he received serious burns after an accident described as a “chemical reaction”. Sources describe Farrugia as an expert in his field. It is believed the explosive material he was mixing probably ignited. He was rushed to hospital and found to be in a critical condition, the police said.
The accident occurred on the same day that Freddy Cassar, 46 of Zurrieq, who suffered severe burns in a fireworks factory explosion near his hometown on November 14, succumbed to his injuries in hospital on Monday.
Cassar was the second victim in the explosion at St Catherine’s fireworks factory. Zaren Barbara, 62, died on the spot.
Last June, five men lost their lives and another suffered extensive burns in a massive explosion at the St Helen’s factory in Gharghur. It was later revealed that a decision by the Fenech Adami administration in 2001, to allow the St Helen’s factory to continue operating despite being in breach of minimum distance requirements, was taken without ever consulting the Explosives Committee – the government watchdog on fireworks factories.
The government has chosen to remain tight-lipped on the safety of Malta’s fireworks factories despite the latest explosion, with minister Tonio Borg still refusing to divulge how many safety inspections were carried out in the past year on fireworks factories.
Labour MP Evarist Bartolo has also asked Borg to table the list of inspections carried out on fireworks factories after last October, the minister refused to table the list in parliament.

mvella@mediatoday.com.mt