The Italian government is preparing to introduce a new legislative decree containing further measures on workplace health and safety. The decree aims to boost accident prevention capabilities, improve the effectiveness of inspections, strengthen training, and launch awareness initiatives to promote a culture of safety.
The Ministry of Labour, led by Marina Calderone, is currently finalizing the text and is engaged in ongoing discussions with trade unions and employers. The timeline for its introduction is reported to be tight. To enhance inspection efficacy, the decree also plans to leverage data already available on existing platforms, such as the Siisl (Sistema informativo per l’inclusione sociale e lavorativa).
The CGIL trade union has reacted coolly to the proposal. Following a meeting at the Ministry of Labour, confederal secretary Francesca Re David acknowledged some positive elements but criticized the measures as “extremely limited” and inadequate for tackling the real emergencies. She highlighted that four workers had lost their lives just the day before.
According to the union leader, the decree leaves fundamental issues entirely unresolved, such as the qualification of companies and contract compliance. “The majority of accidents occur in unqualified companies,” Re David stated, noting that the decree introduces no effective measures on this front, despite it being a primary risk factor.
Re David further added that the inspection system suffers from a severe shortage of controls, a problem the new measure does not help to solve. No revisions were introduced to the public procurement system to ensure greater transparency and safety, despite previous institutional commitments. The decree also fails to strengthen the roles of the Workers’ Safety Representatives (Rls) and the Heads of Prevention and Protection Service (Rspp).
The union did welcome the proposal for a new worker qualification badge, expressing hope it would offer greater protection, similar to measures enacted on construction sites in Rome. However, Re David underscored that the additional resources announced by the Prime Minister on May 1st and reaffirmed on May 8th at Palazzo Chigi still lack any concrete reference in the decree’s text.
In conclusion, Re David said, “The decree contains partially positive measures, but their scope is extremely limited. The solutions for the underlying issues, which had been announced, have neither been identified nor presented.”