Health and Safety
It is incredibly important that you are safe wherever you work. You may need to wear a hard hat or special kinds of shoes at your place of work, for instance, to protect you from harm.
To make sure that work environments in Malta are safe, there exists the Occupational Health and Safety Authority. This Authority draws up health and safety rules and makes sure they’re put into practice, it gives out information leaflets so as many people as possible know about health and safety rules, and it checks that machines and equipment are safe, among many other things. The Authority also organises courses and publishes books about health and safety.
Learn more about the Occupational Health and Safety Authority here.
What happens if I hurt myself at work?
All workplaces have a First Aid Kit and someone who can administer First Aid. If you have seriously injured yourself, call an ambulance or ask a colleague to do that for you. If you are unable to return to work for a while because of your injury, you will be allowed to stay at home to recover.
For more, detailed information on injuries at work, click here.
I’m very stressed at work. What should I do?
If you feel you cannot cope with your workload, if your colleagues are really getting to you, if you find you’re calling in sick more often than not, if you are having trouble sleeping at night, if you find you are getting angry too often or if you are feeling very down, you could be suffering from stress or a mental health problem.
Sometimes it helps to start a hobby like a sport or craft to help take your mind off work once you get home.
Admittedly, if the conditions at work are stressful, things are not that easily solved.
While mental health problems like depression and anxiety are common, most are mild. These are often a reaction to an event like problems at work. If you’re feeling as though you can’t cope, speak to your GP who can usually help. If needs be, he or she will refer you to a specialist and may prescribe medication.
I’m being harassed at work. What should I do?
If you’re being harassed at work or are experiencing some form of conflict, then you’re probably not sure what to do. Don’t worry, you are not alone.
If you are being treated differently because of a particular characteristic, such as because of your sex or sexual orientation, your hair or skin colour or political affiliation, then you are being discriminated against and this is wrong.
The same goes for being mocked or threatened with violence; this is harassment. Employees, employers or clients have no right to discriminate against you because of your age, your sex or whether you have a disability, be it through emails they send, comments they pass or whether they ignore you or do not give you the promotions you deserve.
If it’s possible, try speaking to the person who’s harassing you. This might not be possible, so communicate with your boss or your head of the Human Relations Department instead. If you can’t do this, get in touch with one of the Working Associations listed here.
