#MaltaFreeportTerminals once again marked World Day for Safety and Health at Work with a special focus on critical risks and rules for life, reinforcing our commitment to fostering a strong safety culture across our operations. Our team-building event involved employees from various departments, including Operations, Engineering, Human Resources, Projects, Marketing, and Health & Safety. The event began with a presentation titled ‘Building a Culture of Safety’, delivered by the Health & Safety team, which addressed the importance of recognising and mitigating critical risks. Seven key critical risk areas were addressed: collisions, moving and falling objects, falls from height, fire and explosions, energy hazards, security risks, and environmental dangers. Our staff were split into two groups and competed in a series of outdoor team-building activities each highlighting the importance of the Rules for Life. These rules serve as non-negotiable safety principles essential for preventing serious incidents.
This year’s activities included:
Abseiling and working at heights, which stressed the importance of fall protection, avoiding unnecessary elevation work, and maintaining three points of contact at all times.
Vehicle-building challenges, through which employees learned about respecting traffic rules, maintaining visibility with high-visibility clothing, and the prohibition of using handheld devices while operating vehicles or machinery. Employees were also reminded never to remain in a vehicle’s blind spot.
Fire safety exercises, focused on safe storage of flammable materials, segregation of incompatible substances, and risk evaluation before hot work. Employees were reminded to alert others before responding to any fire incidents.
Electrical safety sessions, including open discussions on energy hazards and the necessity of applying the Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedure before performing maintenance regardless of the energy source. Only trained and authorised personnel should intervene on equipment.
The importance of promptly reporting any unsafe conditions or unusual behaviours was also emphasised throughout the event. To further reinforce the message, videos and posters focusing on critical risks and the Rules for Life are displayed throughout our facility, including the pedestrian gate, punching-in/out stations, canteen, engineering workshop, administration building, and operations department. A Rules for Life leaflet is also being distributed to all employees. We promote a culture that observes these Rules for Life not only on Safety Day, but every day: 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: prepare the workspace, identify hazards, and assess risks; 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻: communicate clearly to ensure shared awareness; 𝗔𝗰𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆: follow proper procedures. Safety is a shared responsibility, not just that of the QHSE Department, in line with the slogan: 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲, 𝗚𝗼 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲.
