As international mobility continues to increase, many foreign companies operates in Italy with workers, supervisors and managers from other countries. One of the most important compliance obligations concerns occupational health and safety training.
Under Italian legislation, foreign workers are subject to the same health and safety training requirements as Italian employees.
Do Foreign Workers Need Italian Safety Training?
Yes. Any worker carrying out activities in Italy must receive health and safety training in accordance with Legislative Decree 81/2008 and the current State-Regions Agreement on occupational safety training.
The training requirement applies regardless of nationality, employment contract or country of origin. Employers must ensure that workers understand both the general principles of prevention and the specific risks associated with their tasks.
Note: If a foreign companies operates in Italy with Italian workers, the employer must check that workers are properly trained
Training Requirements for Workers
Employees working in Italy must receive:
- General safety training (4 hours), covering fundamental concepts such as risk, prevention, protection, rights and duties.
- Specific risk training, related to the hazards present in the workplace and associated with the employee’s duties. (4/8/12 hours for Low/Medium/High risks task)
Training should be completed before or immediately after the beginning of employment and updated whenever work activities, equipment, technologies or workplace risks change significantly.
Additional Training for Supervisors (Preposti)
Employees entrusted with supervisory responsibilities must receive dedicated training in addition to worker training.
The supervisor training programme focuses on:
- Supervision of workplace safety;
- Monitoring compliance with company procedures;
- Management of unsafe behaviours;
- Communication of risks and corrective actions;
- Responsibilities and liabilities of supervisors.
Current regulations require:
- 12 hours of specific supervisor training;
- Refresher training every 2 years.
Training Requirements for Managers (Dirigenti)
Managers play a key role in the company’s health and safety management system and therefore require dedicated training.
Manager training generally covers:
- Health and safety legislation;
- Corporate responsibilities;
- Risk assessment processes;
- Organization of prevention measures;
- Safety leadership and accountability.
If Managers operates in Italy, they must complete:
- 12 hours of dedicated manager training;
- Periodic refresher training every 5 years.
Language Requirements: Understanding Is Essential
One of the most important aspects of compliance concerns language comprehension. Italian legislation explicitly requires employers to consider the worker’s linguistic knowledge when providing health and safety training.
This means that simply delivering a course in Italian is not sufficient if participants cannot adequately understand the content.
ALI offers training in many Languages, such as English or German
Training can be made effective through:
- Courses delivered in the employee’s native language;
- Professional interpreters or language support;
- Translated training materials;
- Visual learning tools and practical demonstrations;
- Knowledge tests and practical assessments.
Conclusion
Foreign workers, supervisors and managers operating in Italy are subject to the same occupational health and safety training obligations as Italian personnel.
A multilingual and well-documented training programme not only supports legal compliance but also helps reduce accidents, improve workplace safety and promote a stronger safety culture throughout the organization.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We have already trained dozens of employees from foreign companies that have operated on Italian construction sites. Furthermore, we can assist you in assessing your company’s standing with regard to occupational health and safety as well as environmental regulations in Italy.
October 2026