OPENING ADDRESS BY THE HON FRANCIS ZAMMIT DIMECH, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, AT THE 2001 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE "SAFETY, RISK AND RELIABILITY - TRENDS IN ENGINEERING" ST. JULIANS. 22/03/2001

Madame President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The issues of safety and risk, unfortunately, normally come to the fore when accidents, failures and disasters occur. These are moments of distress and anxiety, and of injury and economic loss, and sometimes, alas, also loss of life. These are also moments when people in authority, and who have the responsibility for the well-being of the members of their society, fall under close scrutiny. People ask whether the particular event could have been foreseen, and hence whether it could have been avoided or averted, or at least its effects mitigated. People ask whether enough was done, and sufficient resources expended, in order to prevent such events.

I am aware of the fact that these are also the moments when decisions taken earlier in time – or sometimes, decisions not taken in time – when decisions taken in the context of tight budgets, and in the context of a myriad of conflicting demands for funds, are analysed very carefully by society in general. Some recent events in Europe, illustrating such a public debate, come to mind, for example the recent collapse of the bridge in Portugal, last year's fire in the Mont Blanc tunnel, the collapse of a cable car in Italy.

As decision makers we have to accept responsibility for the taking of decisions – as in the often abused clich'?, we have to accept that the buck should stop with us. In order for decision makers to take the necessary decisions with responsibility it is necessary for them to understand the meaning of safety and risk. It is, for example, very difficult for us, as for every layman, to understand why, when you, engineers, talk to us about safety, the terms used are not absolute, not definite. Nothing is 100% safe, it seems; an element of risk will always remain, and hence, presumably, somebody must decide on the level of risk that will be deemed as acceptable for society. Decision makers, more than anybody else, have the duty of understanding these issues, and of translating the expert advice, that you, as engineers and scientists, can give us, into terms that the public in general can understand, so that it may be possible to reach a consensus on a rational basis for the allocation of resources, financial or otherwise, necessary to prevent or avert such events.

I have noted from the Conference Programme that the objective of your meeting here is precisely to address the fundamental questions of how to assess risk, how to define acceptable levels of risk, and how to address the resources required to reduce risk. This is an objective of great importance not only to civil and structural engineers, but all members of society, including decision makers. I have noted as well that the topics of the papers that will be presented in this Conference range from engineering design issues to insurance and legal issues, from problems of fire to those of seismic action, from issues relating to bridges and other structures to those relating to oil pollution and ship collision. It is clear, therefore, that the discussions on the issues of safety and risk will be thorough and extensive, and that the outcome of your discussions will be a milestone in the field.

As the Minister for the Environment, I am particularly aware of the risks that exist within the construction industry. The level of accidents in this industry is still, in my opinion, unacceptably high, when compared to other industries. Safety on site, as much as safety in use of the various buildings and structures that are put up, are two areas for which the relevant regulations and legislation are currently being completely reviewed. The Building Industry Consultative Council, within my Ministry, is currently involved in such an exercise. It is also involved in a programme that is intended to sensitise the operators in the industry on the issues of risk associated with the work they do. An awareness of the risks will surely help in reducing the frequency and severity of accidents. Another relevant area within my Ministry is that of the protection of the environment, and in particular, the assessment of the risk of pollution from waste or from accidents. Once again, this is an area where we are working hard in order to bring to an acceptable level our awareness of the risks involved, and how such risks can be mitigated.

For these reasons I am particularly pleased to have given my support to this Conference, way back in 1999, when the preparations for this event were initiated. Malta is always pleased to welcome foreign guests to our country but this Conference should have more significance for us. This Conference is, I understand, the first major international engineering conference to be held in Malta. We are therefore doubly pleased to welcome guests from the engineering world to Malta. I trust that you will have the opportunity not only to discuss this most important theme of the Conference, but also to see something of our small, but intense, island, and eventually to return.

I wish you well in your work, and at this stage, I am pleased to declare the Conference sessions open.