HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE | Measures implemented during 2026
Italian workplace safety has always required more than a signed policy, but the measures implemented in the first months of 2026 make the emphasis on active prevention particularly visible. New funding mechanisms support employer programmes for cardiovascular and oncological screening, information campaigns and the acquisition of automatic or semi-automatic defibrillators. The broader policy direction is to combine enforcement with incentives for employers that invest in prevention.
These initiatives do not replace the core duties imposed by Legislative Decree no. 81/2008. Every employer must still assess workplace risks, prepare and update the risk assessment document, appoint the required prevention roles, provide training and ensure health surveillance where the risks make it necessary. Responsibility cannot simply be transferred to an external consultant: the employer remains responsible for the organisation of the system and for several non-delegable duties.
For an international group, the main difficulty is often not the absence of a policy but the gap between the group policy and the Italian statutory structure. Global materials may be useful, yet they do not automatically identify the Italian employer, the prevention and protection service, the competent doctor, workers’ safety representatives or the training required for managers and supervisors.
Voluntary prevention initiatives should therefore be built on a compliant local foundation. A screening programme or the installation of defibrillators can provide real value, but it should be coordinated with occupational health, privacy rules and the company’s emergency procedures. Health data must be handled with particular care, and managers should not receive medical information that belongs within the competent doctor’s sphere.
The practical lesson is that Italian safety compliance should be tested as a working system. Employers should be able to show not only that documents exist, but also that risks are understood, responsibilities are allocated, training is current and corrective measures are followed through.