Malta Public Transport has been awarded the occupational health and safety management system certification (150 45001:2018) by the International Organization for Standardization, it announced on Friday.

The certification recognises that the company meets strict international requirements and that it is proactive in investing in improved safety practices, for the benefit of its passengers and employees.

Malta Public Transport's General Manager, Konrad Pulé was pleased with the recognition, saying “safety is at the forefront of everything we do, and we are proud to obtain this prestigious certification by ISO.”

Mr Pulé credited the commitment of the company's employees for the improvements made in the area of health and safety.

He said he hoped the award would reassure passengers of Malta Public Transport's “commitment to safety.”

The certification comes amongst several other measures made by Malta Public Transport to prioritise health and safety, including ongoing training programmes for drivers, and the Advanced Driver programme.

Accidents have fallen by half since 2016, after consistent declining year on year.

The company said that as part of its commitment to further reducing accidents, it investigates all accidents and incidents and monitors them to help establish emerging trends to avoid future risks.

The company also conducts both routine and random inspections to make sure drivers can perform at the highest level and carries out a rigorous maintenance procedure on its entire fleet of buses monthly.

This is the second ISO certificate awarded to Malta Public Transport that has previously received the standard in quality management systems certificate (ISO 9001:2015).