Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/556862
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SUBSCRIPTION FORM Freeport pays €780,000 in damages over injuries In just over eight years Malta Freeport has been ordered to pay €780,000 in damages after being found guilty of negligence CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 At the time of the accident, the crane was being operated by a trainee worker who had only joined the company a few days before. The court noted that the com- pany failed to present enough evidence on why the trainee was operating the crane without su- pervision, and proclaimed that the Freeport must ensure a safe work environment. In another sentence hand- ed down last month, a court awarded €31,400 in damages to a former Freeport worker who was left with a permanent disability after he lost his balance and fell backwards from a height of one storey, landing on a passageway on board a vessel. As a result of the 2008 accident, Francis Cutajar, suffered an eight percent disability and spent five months away from work. Although not directly employed by the Malta Freeport, the court held that the company still had a responsibility for the safety of workers who were carrying out works at its terminals. In this case, the accident could have easily been avoided had Cutajar been given protective clothing and safety harnesses, the court said. These sentences are only the latest in a series of cases in which the Malta Freeport was ordered to pay compensation for injuries, with the company paying a total of €779,685 since 2007. The €224,000 compensation was by far the largest in recent years, with a court holding that the company had failed in its du- ty to minimise health and safety risks to workers and was respon- sible for the injuries suffered by its employee. The court cases unearthed by MaltaToday include at least one death and 11 injuries. The company's management was unable to provide precise figures on the number of injuries in recent years before the Santa Marija holiday but Malta Free- port CEO Aaron Farrugia said the statistics will be provided by Monday. In comments to MaltaToday, Farrugia said the port strictly follows the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code and gave an assurance that the company employs health and safety managers who implement and ensure that all regulations are adhered to. While underlining that any ac- cidents at work not only have negative consequences on work- ers but also dire financial conse- quences on the company, Farru- gia said "you must keep in mind that 1,500 people work at the Freeport and this poses a lot of dangers. However, we take health and safety very seriously, other- wise we would not be granted the licences to operate." The health and safety regula- tions are applicable to all work- ers, including Freeport employ- ees, truck drivers, representatives of the shipping lines and agents, hauliers, contractors and visitors. According to the Freeport's regulations, anyone found not in compliance with these regula- tions will be escorted out of the terminals. The most serious accident in recent years saw Alfred Zerafa die on 2 October, 1998 after fall- ing the height of two contain- ers while he was working in the hold of the vessel "Marchallenge" which was berthed in the Freep- ort Terminal. In its judgment the court had concluded that Freeport Termi- nal (Malta) plc had failed to pro- vide Zerafa with a safe system of work. Despite being instructed to work at a certain height within the ship's hold, Zerafa had not been provided with a safety rope nor had he been instructed to use a rope. It also resulted that there were patches of oil where Zerafa was working and this had added to the chances of him slipping and falling from a height. Mr Justice Raymond Pace had declared that the evidence pro- duced showed that Zerafa failed to wear a safety helmet provided to him, meaning that the victim bore responsibility for one-fifth of the accident while the Freep- ort bore four-fifths of the respon- sibility. In 2012, the court found that the damages sustained by Zerafa's heirs totalled €100,000 but since the Freeport bore four-fifths of the responsibility, it was ordered to pay the family €80,000 in dam- ages. A year later, the Freeport was ordered to pay a trainee crane op- erator €108,800 after he was in- jured on being left unsupervised during his training schedule back in May 2005. The trainee, Patrick Gatt, suffered a 5% permanent disability to his neck and back. Malta Freeport – workplace for 1,500 people