Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1491702
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 FEBRUARY 2023 NEWS MARIANNA CALLEJA RELATIVES of Jean-Paul Sofia, the young victim of Malta's lat- est fatal construction accident, railed against a broken system of rules on the industry and ac- cused developers of taking their greed to the extreme. "This construction industry is stained with the blood of people like Jean-Paul Sofia... we owe it to him and the oth- er families affected by these deaths," the relative said at a demonstration, in which she called for a stringent set of rules for the industry. The demonstration was led by Moviment Graffitti, whose spokesperson Christine Cassar said the construction accidents that had claimed so many lives were "inevitable consequenc- es of a rotten system that sac- rificed lives for developers' greed." "The deaths of Miriam Pace, Jean Paul Sofia, Rita Vella and the construction workers who died on site, could have been avoided... but their lives were sacrificed on the altar of greed," Cassar said. "We cannot stay silent... con- struction is leaving numerous victims and innocent people dead, and families are left bro- ken-hearted. "We need intelligent laws, harsh penalties for those who do not respect the rules, effec- tive inspections during various stages of construction, better security standards – with facts and deeds... we cannot let greed command over us," Sofia's rela- tive said. OHSA bill to speed up inquiries A total of 87 magisterial in- quiries into workplace deaths and injuries that have occurred over the last seven years remain open. The list, dating back to 2015, shows that magistrates are still investigating 29 work- place fatalities. The bulk of the 29 workplace deaths on the list occurred on construction sites, many for- eigners who fell to their deaths, such as that of 26-year-old Ma- bruk Abubaker Abdullatif, who fell a height of several storeys at a construction site in Sliema. But the magisterial inquiries are still open. Another victim was Romeo Antonio Scolari, 49 who fell from a height at a site in St Ju- lian's in March 2019. Malian national Dieidy Coulibaly fell four storeys at a construction site in Qawra in 2019. His in- quiry is also still ongoing. Occupational Health and Safety Authority CEO Mark Gauci recently told The Times that the authority was push- ing for the bill to involve the OHSA in court investigations into workplace accidents, to speed up the conclusions. The bill seeking to speed up magisterial inquiries passed its first reading in parliament. The OHSA oversees workplace safety and ensures the well-be- ing of all workers in all work- Malta's construction industry 'stained with blood' of innocent victims of lawless development