Italy: National Strategy 2026-2030 : Vision Zero and five axes for safety at work

The State-Regions Conference approved the new National Strategy on Health and Safety at Work 2026-2030. An agreement that marks a step change in the approach to the prevention of accidents and the protection of the health of workers, introducing for the first time in Italy a united and binding strategic framework on a national scale.

“Italy is first endowed with a shared instrument in this field,” said the Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci.

A historical document

On December 16, 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 address and coordination of the supervision provided by Legislative Decree 81/2008 and chaired by Minister Orazio Schillaci. This is the most important document in recent years for the entire Italian prevention system, intended to guide interventions, controls, training and security policies throughout the five years.

The Strategy, in line with the Strategic Framework of the European Union 2021-2027 and with the national context, defines a clear path to address the challenges of a rapidly changing world of work. It integrates with the new National Plan of Prevention 2026-2031 and with the initiatives of other bodies involved in health and safety at work, ensuring a coordinated and synergistic approach.

The fundamental principle : Vision Zero

There is a clear principle at the centre: the so-called “Vision Zero”. Every accident is considered to be pre-venable, no longer an inevitable cost of work, and this changes the way businesses and professionals have to read their obligations. In this scenario, security is not a list of “until” fulfillments, but a continuous process that must be integrated into the organization, 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 the AISS, for a quota of accidents equal to zero and the work that does not go to the detriment of health”.

The five strategic axes

The National Strategy is based on five Strategic Aces.

Asse #1 — Dealing with changes in work :

Advance and manage emerging risks related to digital transformation, distance work and psychosocial risks. New technologies, digitization, distance work, hybrid organizational models and psychosocial risks require tools that can anticipate and govern change, not chase it.

Axis #2 — Strengthen the resilience of the institutional system :

The Strategy aims at greater integration between entities, more effective use of data and closer synergy between monitoring and health promotion in workplaces. The goal is to strengthen continuity and integration between health, prevention and vigilance, overcoming fragmented approaches.

Axis #3 — Potential protection for workers and workers :

Particular attention is paid to high risk sectors, fragile workers and health professions, often exposed to complex and stressful working conditions.

Asse #4 — Support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises :

MPMI represent the heart of Italian production. The Strategy includes simplified tools, operational guidelines, technical assistance and targeted incentives to make prevention truly accessible.

SMEs represent more than 90% of the Italian production fabric. This axis is perhaps the most strategic of all — because safety at work cannot be a privilege of the great organizations.

Asse #5 — Spread the culture of prevention from schools :

Prevention is also understood as a cultural path, to start already in the school. Implement the promotion and dissemination of SSL culture in educational and university courses.

A distinctive feature of other European countries: Italy focuses on early cultural education, not only on compulsory technical training.

How the Italian watch system works

The theme of 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 presides over the Coordination Committee — the Regions and the AUSL, which operate on the territory — the INIL, responsible for prevention and accident insurance — the National Labour Inspectorate, in charge of supervision and controls — and the social partners, associated through a consultation phase.

The approved document is not a point of arrival, but the beginning of a structural path: the text passes to the State-Regions Conference for the formal transposition and the territorial declination of national addresses.

The context : the numbers of accidents in Italy

In Italy, in 2024, more than 500,000 occupational accidents were reported to INIL. Behind every number there is a person, a family, a life that could have been protected.

The goal is not a marginal reduction of accidents, but a change of approach that focuses on prevention and shared responsibility between institutions, companies and workers.

What concretely means for Italian companies

In the official communiqué there are no new immediate obligations for companies, but a path based on shared objectives and guidelines for national and territorial policies is outlined.

For businesses, consultants, RSPPs and trainers, Strategy 2026-2030 is a clear reference for the coming years. It is a sign of strengthening prevention policies and, inevitably, also controls. At the same time it is an opportunity: those who invest today in quality training, work organization and safety culture will be more prepared to address future regulatory developments and manage risks in a structured way.

Five concrete actions that every company can start today:

— Update the DVR by integrating psychosocial risks and emerging risks related to digitalisation
— Form internal referents to Vision Zero approach
— Launch a structured welcome programme for new recruits
— Activate safe signaling channels for near misses and risk situations
— Measuring health and safety indicators regularly — not only after accidents

Conclusion

The National Strategy 2026-2030 is a fundamental step towards prevention in Italy: a document that integrates European vision, national competences and territorial responsibility, with the ambition of bringing the country towards a safer, more modern and sustainable work model. A change of course that involves institutions, enterprises, workers and safety professionals: because the protection of life and health at work is not only a normative obligation, but an ethical and cultural duty.

Sources: Ministry of Health, National Strategy 2026-2030 for Health and Safety at Work (December 2025) — Daily Health, Free Way to National Strategy 2026-2030 (May 2026) — EB Security, National Strategy 2026-2030 for Health and Safety at Work (February 2026)