An examination of local health and safety practices on small to medium-sized construction sites

Abstract

It is a known fact that construction workers face a high level of risk on a day to day basis, due to the type of environment they work in as well as the nature of the work they execute. This study is prompted by the realisation that the level of health and safety on small to medium-sized construction sites is strongly lacking across the Maltese Islands. In view of this an overview of the current health and safety legislation is undertaken with the strong and weak points being highlighted. Furthermore, a critical comparison is carried out between the local regulations and those in the United Kingdom, mainly the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, with the scope of emphasising certain changes which could be undertaken locally. The second part of this dissertation reviews various papers and projects carried out by different entities, with the aim of establishing the true causes of accidents as well as understanding better the dynamics involved in accident causation. Issues related to enterprise size, in the light of health and safety, are also studied. The third part sets out to examine the short coming of workers on site from a series of site visits and visual observations by means of photographs. Tentative solutions are suggested throughout the whole work based on the findings of other research and questions are raised about the effectiveness of the current regulations and possibilities of improvement.