“Engineers have a unique ability to identify opportunities.”

Engineering the future – that is our collective responsibility. The choices we make today shall forge the quality of the future. The effects of tomorrow’s world are the results of what we decide to achieve and how we act from now.

Over and above the legal definition of an engineer – which today I will avoid going into the snare of discussing here as it has raised enough controversy within the profession – I will seize this opportunity to express and share with you my humble opinion and own experience of the engineering profession.

In my view, engineers are not just cliché problem solvers.  Prior to solving difficulties, I strongly believe that engineers have a unique ability to identify opportunities. Continuously showing their tenacity as catalysts of innovation.

The distinct attribute of being able to apply scientific knowledge, technical expertise, and creativity to design, develop and implement new solutions to improve people’s lives is what defines my view of an engineer. In short, engineers are innovators.

In a world where our economies are being challenged by post-pandemic realities and by complex geopolitical issues within our own continent, innovation is of key importance to remain relevant.

To achieve this, our modern society relies on the value that engineers are able to bring forward, be they new manufacturing processes, novel infrastructure materials, cutting-edge medical devices, reliable and dependable utilities, IT and so many more.

Innovation, however, does not necessarily take the form of extraordinary technological breakthroughs. With growing environmental concerns, the ability to find and develop solutions to complex challenges, taking small but progressive improvements to the ultimate goal of decarbonization, is a matter of equal importance.

I see the crucial role of our engineers being innovative for this country to reach its sustainability goals. Beyond generation of renewable energy, which is already challenging considering our geographical limitations and environment, the intelligent and efficient use of energy and other limited resources is paramount.

We need good engineering skills, breaking traditional boundaries and venturing beyond our customary comfort zones to design energy-efficient buildings and low-carbon transportation. This can be achieved in collaboration with other professions too. Furthermore, sustainable but affordable efforts towards the reduction of the impact of human activities on the environment, shall not come at the expense of comfort or being prohibitively unreachable.

Another very important facet of innovation is digitalisation. We have all witnessed, during the pandemic, how digital communications, remote purchasing platforms and a plethora of new services suddenly transformed what was our normal way of life and became essential commodities. Beyond those specific uses, to mention a few other openings, I believe that digitalisation can contribute towards better manufacturing processes, more comfortable homes and buildings, reliable and secure financial services, optimized supply chains and efficient transportation and communication. The list of possible prospects is endless, and I am sure that there are other openings yet to be realised.

Here is where we need to be clever – to make these achievements without adding unnecessary burdens on our economies and on the environment using digital technologies. Engineers have the academic training and the necessary aptitude to make this possible.

Complementing this, our role as government is to foster the right conditions for this to happen.

Energy efficiency in buildings is a priority and a commitment for this Government. It is a key peg to reach our ambitious 2050 decarbonisation goals.  In this year’s budget, we have extended the assistance for the installation of renewables in residences and for renovations in private sector buildings.

We cannot and we will not only focus on new buildings. I strongly believe that we must be innovative to find effective and affordable solutions to retrofit our existing buildings so that they achieve a better performance whilst respecting the local heritage.

It is true that some commercial engineering solutions are universally adaptable.  But there are several others that require local knowledge so that they can be adapted to suit our climate, our building materials and the constructions methods of our existing building stock. The Chamber of Engineers can serve as a catalyst for discussion and evolution of best practices.

A similar situation prevails in various other sectors of our economy.  This administration has been characterized by constant and robust economic growth driven by numerous sectors. We all agree that we need to continue to nurture economic growth.

In this setting, it is imperative that innovation, sustainability, and digital transformation should continue to be the central drivers for further development of our future economy. We acknowledge the need to focus on these drivers to deliver the much-desired results whilst minimizing the impact of economic growth and reducing disruptions on our society in the process.

By embracing digital technologies, engineers can drive innovation, rethink existing solutions, improve efficiency, and deliver solutions that meet the evolving needs of today’s world. Engineers can provide new tools to design, analyze and manage our projects differently.

The critical role of the engineering profession to contribute towards technological advancements, infrastructure development, sustainability efforts, manufacturing and industrial innovations, and research and development is unparalleled.

This is an opportunity to shape the future by both identifying opportunities to do things differently and creating transformative solutions that improve our lives and drive societal progress.

During the past year my ministry together with the Engineering Profession Board has taken a number of steps to ensure measurable improvements. Several administrative issues that have been brought to my attention have been addressed conclusively.

I bode that the engineering community at large finds its means to come together and present itself as a coordinated body of society to ensure that this nation continues to be a forerunner in its most challenging aspects.

I will conclude by sharing my concern that this profession is in dire need to attract more members of the younger generation.  I do not subscribe to the idea that the profession is less appealing than it used to be a decade ago. Technology has continued to make significant strides of which people speak about on a daily basis. Innovation is, in itself, an alluring prospect.

This is a collective interest. I believe that we should team up as Government, the engineering community, and academic stakeholders to draw more people towards engineering, if we do want to determine the shape tomorrow’s world.

I wish to thank the Swedish Presidency for this opportunity to discuss occupational health and safety. It is indeed my pleasure to participate in this roundtable discussion, which provides an opportunity for us decision-makers to meet and exchange our views and ideals, while exploring ways that may lead towards a common vision and a shared political framework to address the dual transitions and the challenges they produce in the remit of occupational health and safety.

The existence of a safe and healthy working conditions is a precondition for a healthy and productive workforce.

Here we are talking about people’s lives and workers’ health. The existence of a safe and healthy working conditions is a precondition for a healthy and productive workforce. During the last three decades, we have made significant progress in the field of OSH: Fatal accidents at work in the EU fell by around 7% between 1994 and 2018. Nonetheless, more than 3,300 fatal accidents have occurred in the EU in 2020, and more than 200,000 workers die each year from occupational diseases. Maintaining and improving workers’ protection standards remains a challenge and constant necessity.

We are now at the beginning of two powerful transition processes, the innovation-driven digital transformation, and the policy-driven climate transition. At the same time, we are now facing a pandemic-driven restructuring of important sectors of our economies. During Covid-19, OSH policy and legislation had a crucial role in helping workers, businesses, and governments to protect lives and manage well-being risks, business continuity, and sustainability. It is thus essential to draw the lessons of the pandemic and increase preparedness for future health crises by improving not only the physical health, but also the mental health of our workers.

With the green and digital transition, the nature of the workplace and the pattern of work is changing. Within this context, our governments need to find innovative and creative solutions to anticipate and manage such changes.

Primarily, many of the challenges being anticipated because of green and digital transitions can be easily addressed by the correct application of existing European occupational health and safety Directives, and the direction given in the strategic Framework.  To name a few examples, Member States can ensure the integration of actions in the national health and safety inspectorates’ work plans, placing these challenges on the agenda of the meetings between Government and Social Partners; or for instance, by launching national inspection and awareness raising campaigns that address such challenges.

At an implementation level it is essential that  the respective stakeholders  work together to effectively integrate occupational safety and health measures into green and digital initiatives, the collaboration of all the parties involved is imperative, not only on these issues, but on all safety and health matters at work. It is essential that we recognise that we are here also dealing with important social impacts that have considerable effects on our citizens. It is therefore essential to adopt a bottom-up approach in order to ensure that all voices are heard.

At a local level, the Ministry responsible for Public Works and Planning, together with the national Occupational Health and Safety Authority, have been stressing  this point for several years. We need to move away from a situation where Government dictates what needs to be done, and instead embrace a philosophy that we are all in this together. A healthy and safe workforce is the fundamental basis of a strong and resilient economy and society. At Social Partners’ level, there should be meaningful initiatives to support the efforts being taken by Government. Employers should strive towards self-regulation where they act on the risks they are creating and, at the same time, committing themselves to do more than the law requires.

When it comes to addressing mental health aspects at work in the context of the dual transitions, the key is finding ways to develop the skills, competence and resources at an enterprise level to address such challenges; for example, by ensuring that the employers’ protective and preventive services and measures are aligned towards this challenge.

Effective help in the early stages can help prevent long-term problems both for individuals and for the organisation.

It is also important that situations involving issues of mental health are addressed as early as possible, and that the employer takes the appropriate, early action when faced with warning signs in support of the wellbeing of its employees. Effective help in the early stages can help prevent long-term problems both for individuals and for the organisation. Likewise, it is crucial to highlight the importance of teaching healthy coping skills, which can also be described as dynamic responses to psychological stress. These should in fact be considered as important life skills; the relevance of which transcends the working environment.

It also seems to be a common experience to find that psychosocial hazards are generally neglected by duty-holders and at times not even considered. This may partly be due to the fact that most national workplace health and safety campaigns tend to focus on key “physical” hazards, while the subject of psychological health is addressed through ad-hoc campaigns. This is why psychosocial risks need to be mainstreamed into all information and inspection campaigns so that mental health stops being considered as an afterthought.

Organisations shall also ensure that they have policies or programmes to prevent, anticipate and address these problems at the workplace from a very early stage. Existing tools such as the online and interactive risk assessments and guidance on these subjects will thus be of utmost importance. By way of example, guidance to employers and workers may cover those situations which are associated with these challenges, such as work arrangements, workloads, working hours or remote working. These challenges will also affect the national inspectorates, and hence, assistance in this regard will also be needed. It is also important to highlight the actions that may be needed by the Social Partners to help their members, both at EU and local levels.   

Meanwhile, Governments must take a common approach across the EU. While, in the long term, some form of legislation and enforcement will be warranted, in the short term, there is more scope for education and promotion.

In addressing the occupational safety and health improvement, while minimising the psychosocial risks at work in the context of these dual transitions through collaboration and knowledge-sharing among stakeholders, it must be noted that for small Member States like Malta, one cannot overstate the wealth of information that is already available at EU level, such as that being prepared and disseminated by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Social partners are advised to make use of this already available information for the benefit of their members.

Unfortunately, and despite the magnitude of the problem and its impact on workers, the economy and society in general, psychosocial health remains the Cinderella of occupational health and safety. Even in the years to come, everybody’s focus and attention will be on reducing asbestos risks, lowering the exposure limit values for carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic substances, musculo-skeletal disorders, problems associated with display screen equipment and so on. These are also important issues, but they cannot remain at the forefront of action at the expense of psychosocial health.

Greater awareness raising and promotion are the least to expect, as would be the promulgation of guidance and the development of employee support programmes. I am proud to say that an initiative taken by the Maltese Government to establish a mental health support unit and make it accessible to all Government employees has been a huge success. This Employee Support Programme was also commended by the European Agency for Safety and Health as an example of good practice. But we need to do more, although a cautionary approach to developing new legislative instruments in this field may be indicated, practical solutions based on exchanges of best practice may be the best way forward.

Thank you very much for your attention.

Il-kredu tagħna huwa wieħed soċjalista li jistrieħ fuq il-pedament sod tal-ġustizzja soċjali. Għalina, l-ħaddiem, bhal Malta, dejjem jiġi l-ewwel u qabel kollox.

Jumejn ilu, fakkarna l-65 anniversarju minn meta, fil-28 ta’ April 1958, il-ħaddiema Maltin ipprotestaw kontra l-ħakma tal-gvern kolonjali Ingliż fil-ġlieda tagħhom għall-ħobż u l-ħelsien. Għada niċċelebraw Jum il-Ħaddiem.

Fil-qofol ta’ dawn l-avvenimenti kbar fl-istorja politika ta’ Malta, u fiċ-ċelebrazzjoni ta’ Jum il-Ħaddiem, hemm il-Partit Laburista. 65 sena ilu, l-Maltin, immexxija mill-Perit Duminku Mintoff, niżlu fit-toroq u semmgħu leħinhom kontra l-prattiċi ħżiena, u degradanti tal-gvern kolonjali Ingliż fil-konfront tal-ħaddiem Malti li wasslu għat-tkasbir tad-drittijiet tal-ħaddiema.

Fil-65 sena li għaddew, il-ħaddiem Malti wettaq kisbiet kbar. Xpruna ħafna minn dawn il-kisbiet il-Partit Laburista. Il-paga minima, l-pensjonijiet, il-benefiċċji soċjali, d-dritt li tissieħeb f’union, il-housing soċjali, l-benefiċċji tal-mard u ħafna kisbiet ohra. Dawn kollha kisbiet li taw dinjità lill-ħaddiema Maltin, huma kollha kisbiet imwettqa mill-Partit Laburista.

Kienet triq twila u diffiċli. Ma’ kull pass li l-ħaddiem ipprova jagħmel, sab il-forzi konservattivi f’pajjiżna jippruvaw iżommuh lura. Mal-milja taż-żmien, il-ħaddiem, l-attivist Laburista u l-mexxejja tiegħu, ġie impost fuqhom l-interdett, żmien ikraħ ħafna fl-istorja politika ta’ pajjiżna, li iżda lanqas dan ma qata’ qalb il-ħaddiem – niftakru fil-51,000 suldat tal-azzar li, b’kuraġġ kbir, baqa’ jġorr it-torċa tal-libertà u l-ħelsien.

Iż-żminijiet inbidlu, iżda l-forzi politiċi konservattivi baqgħu jagħmlu ħilitihom biex jitfgħu il-piż fuq il-addiema. Anke fi żmien riċenti, l-ħaddiem ftit li xejn sab appoġġ minn politiċi li, meta kienu fil-poter, serqulu l-btajjel pubbliċi; ntaxxawlu l-paga minima, għollewlu l-kontijiet tad-dawl u l-ilma, u ffriżaw il-pensjonijiet. Kellu jkun Gvern Laburista li jindirizza dan kollu, u radd lura lill-ħaddiem dak li hu tiegħu.

Illum għandna l-anqas rata ta’ qagħad li qatt kellhu pajjiżna; tkabbir ekonomiku fost l-akbar fl-UE; l-paga minima ma għadhiex tiġi ntaxxata; l-pensjonijiet żdiedu u se jkomplu jiżdiedu; l-gvern refa’ hu l-piż taż-żieda fil-prezzijiet tal-enerġija – bil-kontra ta’ dak li seħħ fl-Ewropa; il-btajjel pubbliċi ngħataw lura; d-dritt ta’ sħubija f’union huwa garantit u ngħata wkoll lill-forzi dixxiplinati, u ħafna aktar drittijiet li l-ħaddiem qed igawdi grazzi għall-ħidma tal-Gvern Laburista.

Sfidi għad hemm, anke jekk ta’ bixra differenti. Illum, l-għafsa hi fuq il-ħtiega li jinstab bilanċ bejn ix-xogħol u l-ħajja personali tal-ħaddiem. Ghalhekk l-impenn biex ikollna ambjent aktar b’saħħtu, ħalli l-ħaddiem ikun jista’ jgawdi l-mistrieħ mistħoqq wara ġimgħa ta’ ħidma. Is-sitwazzjoni internazzjonali wasslet għal żieda fil-prezzijiet tal-affarijiet bażiċi, u oħrajn li mhumiex. L-għafsa ta’ din iż-żieda l-ewwel ma jħossha l-ħaddiem. Iżda anke hawn, Gvern Laburista qed jagħmel ħiltu kollha biex itaffi l-impatt ta’ dawn iż-żidiet: Ghalhekk li se jkompli jissussidja l-prezzijiet tal-enerġija; għalhekk li fl-eqqel tal-pandemija, u wara, sostna l-pagi tal-ħaddiema u n-negozji.

Il-Partit Laburista minn dejjem kellhu qalb soċjali b’saħħitha. Il-kredu tagħna huwa wieħed soċjalista li jistrieħ fuq il-pedament sod tal-ġustizzja soċjali. Għalina, l-ħaddiem, bhal Malta, dejjem jiġi l-ewwel u qabel kollox. Meta ngħidu li għandna fiduċja fil-ħaddiema ma nkunux qegħdin nilgħabu għall-gallarija. L-aħħar 65 sena taw prova ċara ta’ dan. Il-martirju li għex il-ħaddiem, kawża tal-oppressjoni mill-forzi konservattivi, ċaħdu lill-Partit Laburista milli jiggverna. Il-moviment tal-ħaddiem minn dejjem kien it-tarka tan-nies tax-xogħol.

Dan l-aħħar nidejna l-akbar riforma fl-industrija tal-kostruzzjoni. L-għan ewlieni ta’ din ir-riforma hi li ndaħħlu aktar serjetà f’din  l-industrija u li fuq kollox, ngħollu l-kwalita u nħarsu s-saħħa u s-sigurtà ta’ kull min jaħdem f’dan is-settur.

Il-kisbiet kbar li għamel il-ħaddiem Malti, taħt gvernijiet Laburisti, saru minkejja Oppożizzjoni distruttiva li ma titlifx opportunità waħda biex tipprova issawwat lil Malta u lill-ħaddiema. Dan l-aħħar nidejna l-akbar riforma fl-industrija tal-kostruzzjoni. L-għan ewlieni ta’ din ir-riforma hi li ndaħħlu aktar serjetà f’din  l-industrija u li fuq kollox, ngħollu l-kwalita u nħarsu s-saħħa u s-sigurtà ta’ kull min jaħdem f’dan is-settur. Tal-Partit Nazzjonalista ma pparteċipawx fil-konsultazzjoni pubblika u wisq anqas ressqu proposti. Dan l-episodju, u ħafna episodji oħra, passat u riċenti, huma xhieda ta’ oppożizzjoni bla sustanza politika u negattiva.

Meta għada niltaqgħu fil-Belt Valletta ser niċċelebraw il-kisbiet tal-ħaddiem Malti u se nispjegaw, permezz tad-diskors tal-Prim Ministru u Mexxej Laburista Robert Abela, kif pajjiżna se jkompli jagħmel suċċess. Suċċess li, l-Partit Laburista huwa determinat li minnu jgawdi kulħadd iżda b’mod partikolari  l-ħaddiema li dejjem kienu f’qalbna f’kull ma wettaqna biex intejbu l-għajxien tal-familji Maltin u Għawdxin.

Din hija l-ewwel darba li qed inniedu qafas lejn liċenzjar sħiħ ta’ dawk kollha li jaħdmu fis-settur tal-kostruzzjoni biex naġġornaw il-mod kif jaħdem. Proċess ġdid u meħtieġ li se jkun pass importanti għall-pajjiż, għas-settur innifsu u n-nies inġenerali.

Qed ngħaddu messaġġ ċar u b’saħħtu li min mhux lest li jaħdem kif suppost mhux se jkun postu fis-settur tal-kostruzzjoni.

Il-Gvern Laburista qed jerġa’ juri biċ-ċar li huwa Gvern li meta jiġi għall-mument tal-prova ma jkaxkarx saqajh biex jieħu d-deċiżjonijiet u jwettaq ir-riformi. Il-Gvern Laburista kien u għadu katalist tal-bidla u għalhekk ninsabu kommessi li nibqgħu nagħmlu riformi u bidliet li tant huma meħtieġa inkluż fis-settur tal-kostruzzjoni.

Is-settur tal-kostruzzjoni huwa settur li matul is-snin il-metodi li bih jitħaddem inbidlu u evolvew. Il-bini li konna nibnu tletin, erbgħin sena ilu huwa differenti minn dak li qed nibnu llum il-ġurnata. In-nies attwalment qed jistennew li jkollna settur tal-kostruzzjoni li jitħaddem b’mod responsabbli u bl-aqwa standards. Dan il-gvern qed jifhem u huwa konxju ta’ dak li jridu n-nies u dak li jeħtieġ il-pajjiż bħalissa. Huwa għalhekk li għall-ewwel darba ser nintroduċu liċenzja għall-kuntratturi tal-kostruzzjoni biex din tirregola lil min jaħdem f’dan is-settur. It-twaqqigħ, l-iskavar u l-bini huma l-ewwel tliet attivitajiet li se jkollhom il-ħtieġa tal-liċenzja għax huma it-tliet oqsma ewlenin f’dan is-settur.

Bid-dħul ta’ dawn ir-regolamenti qed nwasslu messaġġ b’saħħtu favur kwalità ogħla u aktar serjetà fit-tħaddim f’dan is-settur. M’għadux żmien li jkun hemm kuntratturi li jaħdmu b’metodi inaċċettabbli u ta’ kwalità skadenti. Huwa għalhekk li ser naċċertaw li min jaħdem ikollu l-ħiliet meħtieġa u japplika standards kif jixraq ta’ kostruzzjoni. Fuq kollox qed jiġi aċċentwat li x-xogħol ta’ kostruzzjoni isir b’rispett sħiħ lejn id-drittijiet ta’ terzi persuni u bl-inqas impatt fuq il-madwar u bl-inqas inkonvenjent possibbli.

Filwaqt li ser naċċertaw li l-kuntratturi jkunu aktar serji u dedikati u l-ħaddiema jkunu aktar mħarrġa f’dan is-settur, bir-regolamenti li ser nintroduċu se nżidu aktar l-infurzar fuq siti ta’ kostruzzjoni min-naħa tal-Awtorità għall-Bini u l-Kostruzzjoni (BCA). Fil-preżent, l-Awtorità għall-Bini u l-Kostruzzjoni timpjega magħha 16-il spettur. Minn meta twaqqfet, l-Awtorità għall-Bini u l-Kostruzzjoni wettqet ‘il fuq minn 20,500 spezzjoni u ħarġet ‘il fuq minn 573 notifika biex jitwaqqfu x-xogħlijiet. Bl-introduzzjoni tar-regolamenti li ser ndaħħlu se nkunu nistgħu nsaħħu l-infurzar billi ningaġġaw spetturi ġodda fi ħdan l-awtorità u fuq kollox billi nagħtu setgħa akbar lill-istess Awtorità tal-Bini u l-Kostruzzjoni biex din tkun tista’ tagħmel sospensjoni jew revoka ta’ liċenzja. B’dan il-mod il-kuntrattur mhux biss ma jkunx jista’ jaħdem f’dak is-sit fejn hemm in-nuqqas iżda ma jkun jista’ jaħdem fl-ebda sit.

Fl-aħħar mill-aħħar, l-aspett u l-għan ewlieni huwa li jkollna responsabiliazzazzjoni ta’ dan is-settur. Aħna rridu settur li jifhem u japprezza li hemm metodi aħjar kif isiru l-affarijiet, hemm metodi aħjar kif inti tista’ tagħmel proġetti mingħajr ma jkollok inċidenti, hemm metodi aħjar mingħajr jew bl-inqas konvenjent possibli. Din hija l-bidla radikali li rridu nkomplu nsaħħu f’din it-triq il-quddiem, f’dan l-avvanz, f’dan is-settur. Dak li qed nħabbru huwa bla preċedent u għalija dan huwa żgur bidla fid-direzzjoni lejn aktar serjetà u kwalità ogħla f’dan is-settur.