The State-Regions Conference has approved the new National Strategy for health and safety at work 2026-2030. An agreement that marks a change of pace in the approach to accident prevention and worker health protection, introducing for the first time in Italy a unified and binding strategic framework at national level.
“Italy is equipping itself for the first time with a shared instrument in this area”, declared Health Minister Orazio Schillaci.
A historic document
On 16 December 2025, the Ministry of Health officially approved the National Strategy 2026-2030 for health and safety at work, during the meeting of the Committee for the orientation and coordination of vigilance under Legislative Decree 81/2008, chaired by Minister Orazio Schillaci. This is the most important document in recent years for Italy’s entire prevention system, designed to guide interventions, controls, training and safety policies throughout the five-year period.
The Strategy, in line with the European Union’s Strategic Framework 2021-2027 and the national context, defines a clear path to face the challenges of a rapidly evolving world of work. It integrates with the new National Prevention Plan 2026-2031 and the initiatives of other bodies involved in health and safety at work, ensuring a coordinated and synergistic approach.
The fundamental principle: Vision Zero
At the centre is a clear principle: “Vision Zero”. Every accident is considered preventable, no longer an inevitable cost of work, and this changes the way companies and professionals must read their obligations. In this scenario, safety is not a checklist of tasks to “tick off”, but a continuous process that must be integrated into the organisation, measured and improved over time.
The main objective is to drastically reduce accidents and deaths, adopting the Vision Zero approach, which promotes the “7 golden rules of ISSA, for zero accidents and work that does not compromise health”.
The five strategic axes
The National Strategy is built on five Strategic Axes.
Axis #1 — Addressing changes in the world of work: anticipating and managing emerging risks linked to digital transformation, remote working and psychosocial risks. New technologies, digitalisation, teleworking, hybrid organisational models and psychosocial risks require tools capable of anticipating and governing change, not just following it.
Axis #2 — Strengthening the resilience of the institutional system: the Strategy aims for greater integration between bodies, more effective use of data and closer synergy between vigilance and health promotion in the workplace. The objective is to strengthen continuity and integration between healthcare, prevention and vigilance, overcoming fragmented approaches.
Axis #3 — Strengthening protections for workers: particular attention is paid to high-risk sectors, vulnerable workers and healthcare professions, often exposed to complex and stressful working conditions.
Axis #4 — Supporting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises: SMEs represent more than 90% of Italy’s productive fabric. The Strategy provides simplified tools, operational guidelines, technical assistance and targeted incentives to make prevention genuinely accessible. This axis is perhaps the most strategic of all — because workplace safety cannot be a privilege of large organisations.
Axis #5 — Spreading a culture of prevention from school onwards: prevention is understood also as a cultural journey, to be initiated in the school environment. A distinctive feature compared to other European countries: Italy is investing in early cultural training, not just mandatory technical training.
How the Italian vigilance system works
Health and safety at work is addressed through an integrated system, based on coordination between different institutional levels.
The main actors are: the Ministry of Health, which chairs the coordination Committee — the Regions and the AUSL, which implement at territorial level — INAIL, responsible for prevention and accident insurance — the National Labour Inspectorate, responsible for vigilance and controls — and social partners, involved through a consultation phase.
The context: accident figures in Italy
In Italy, in 2024, more than 500,000 workplace accidents were reported to INAIL. Behind every figure lies a person, a family, a life that could have been protected.
The objective is not a marginal reduction in accidents, but a change of approach that places prevention and shared responsibility between institutions, companies and workers at the centre.
What this means concretely for Italian companies
The official communiqué does not indicate new immediate obligations for companies, but outlines a path based on shared objectives and orientation guidelines for national and territorial policies.
For companies, consultants, HSE managers and trainers, the Strategy 2026-2030 represents a clear reference for the coming years. It is a signal of strengthened prevention policies and, inevitably, also of controls. At the same time it is an opportunity: those who invest today in quality training, work organisation and a safety culture will be better prepared to face future regulatory developments and manage risks in a structured way.
Five concrete actions every company can start today:
— Update the risk assessment document integrating psychosocial risks and emerging risks linked to digitalisation
— Train internal referents in the Vision Zero approach
— Launch a structured induction programme for new hires
— Activate secure reporting channels for near misses and risk situations
— Measure health and safety indicators periodically — not only after accidents
Conclusion
The National Strategy 2026-2030 represents a fundamental step forward for prevention in Italy: a document that integrates European vision, national expertise and territorial responsibilities, with the ambition of leading the country towards a safer, more modern and sustainable model of work. A change of direction that involves institutions, companies, workers and safety professionals: because protecting life and health at work is not just a regulatory obligation, but an ethical and cultural duty.
Sources: Ministry of Health, National Strategy 2026-2030 for health and safety at work (December 2025) — Quotidiano Sanità , Go-ahead for the National Strategy 2026-2030 (May 2026) — EB Sicurezza, National Strategy 2026-2030 for Health and Safety at Work (February 2026) — Sicuro Magazine, National Strategy for workplace safety 2026-2030 (January 2026) — Servizio Protetto, Vision Zero and the new National Strategy (2026) — Certifico, National Strategy for Health and Safety at Work 2026-2030 (December 2025).