Conflict of interest as OHSA Deputy Chair provides private consultancy

The newly appointed Deputy Chairperson of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA), which is responsible for regulating and enforcing health and safety laws, also owns a private consultancy firm that provides services to companies potentially overseen and investigated by the same regulator.

Adrian Cauchi, who has extensive experience in the health and safety industry, was appointed by Minister Jonathan Attard last November.

Minister Attard declined to comment when asked about the apparent conflict of interest involving his appointee. He also did not answer questions about whether he was aware of Cauchi’s conflict before his appointment or if Cauchi had declared it.

Cauchi established his private consultancy firm, Safety Management Malta, in 2021. He promotes himself on social media as both the Deputy Chair of the OHSA and the full-time owner of his consultancy firm.

Sources within the OHSA questioned how it was acceptable for the regulator to advise clients who are subject to regulation and potential investigation by the same Authority.

Recently, the government responded to public pressure by introducing new rules aimed at tightening enforcement in the sector. However, sources have said that the OHSA still lacks the proper operational tools and expertise to implement these changes effectively.

The new Chair, Pierre Fava, is a businessman with several private interests, while the government-appointed CEO, Josianne Cutajar, is a general medical practitioner.

Before her current role, Cutajar was the CEO of St Vincent De Paul and was linked to various scandals involving procurement and direct orders.

Sources indicated that Cutajar has also been allowed to maintain her private GP practice while acting as a full-time CEO, contrary to Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) policy.

Despite the OHSA’s existence for decades, enforcement remains inadequate, and a culture of impunity and lax regulation has become commonplace.