During the ordinary session of the State-Regions Conference of 17 April 2025, the new Agreement was signed pursuant to Article 37, paragraph 2 of Legislative Decree 9 April 2008, no. 81, between the Government, the Regions and the autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano, relating to the duration and minimum content of training courses on health and safety in the workplace.
The update consolidates and replaces the previous discipline regulated by the Agreements published in 2011, 2012 and 2016, creating a single regulatory framework and substantially redefining all matters relating to the training of workers, managers, supervisors and employers, introducing new teaching methods, more stringent requirements for trainers and a more rigorous monitoring system.
The main novelties of the 2025 Agreement concern, in particular:
- Trainer Requirements: More rigorous criteria are introduced for the qualification of trainers, requiring documented professional and specific teaching experience, as well as continuous updating of skills.
- Distance learning: the use of synchronous videoconferencing is permitted and its equivalence to physical presence, with the exception of teaching modules that require training or a practical test. Training e-learning it is permitted for the contents of the basic and refresher modules (but not for the training of supervisors), according to the national technical-didactic standard compliant with the criteria already introduced by the 2012 Agreement, but now made more stringent in terms of traceability, tutoring and final evaluation.
- Monitoring and evaluationThe Agreement introduces a system for monitoring the effectiveness of training, with checks to be carried out during work activity and not only at the end of the course.
- Worker training: the obligation of final learning verification is introduced for training courses and refresher courses, through tests or interviews: the test must include at least 30 questions (10 questions for refresher courses) with at least three alternative answers and will be considered positively passed with at least 70% of correct answers. The training remains unchanged in terms of duration and content.
- Training of supervisors: The duration of the course for supervisors increases from 8 to 12 hours, to be carried out in person or via synchronous videoconference. The refresher course becomes biennial, with a minimum duration of 6 hours. Also in this case, there is the obligation to verify final learning through a test (at least 30 multiple choice questions for training – 10 questions for updates – and a positive outcome with at least 70% of correct answers) or interview.
- Management training: The course for managers is reduced from the current 16 hours to 12 hours. However, an additional 6-hour module is planned for those who work on construction sites. However, the “five-year” frequency of the refresher courses remains unchanged, with a minimum duration of 6 hours. The training, both basic and refresher, can also be carried out in e-learning.
- Employer training: All employers, even those who do not hold the role of RSPP, are required to attend a training course lasting at least 16 hours, with a five-yearly refresher course of at least 6 hours. The training must be carried out within 2 years of the entry into force of the new 2025 Agreement.
- Training in environments suspected of pollution or confined: For workers, employers and self-employed workers operating in environments suspected of pollution or confined, the new Agreement provides for 12 hours of training (including 4 hours of legal-technical training and 8 hours of practice), to be carried out exclusively in person. For the refresher course, a five-year frequency is established with a minimum duration of 4 hours, to be carried out - also in this case - exclusively in person. Finally, specific requirements have been established for teachers who must be qualified as safety trainers pursuant to the Interministerial Decree of 6 March 2013 and have documented professional experience, at least three years, in the sector of work in confined or suspected pollution environments.
- Training for the use of specific equipment: The Agreement introduces mandatory training for the use of overhead cranes, material handling loaders (CMM) and agricultural fruit harvesting machines (CRF). The training must be carried out within 12 months of the entry into force of the new Agreement.
The new regulation will come into force after the publication of the Agreement in the Official Journal of the Italian Republic.
Content by Attorney Claudio Bonora and of the lawyer. Rodolfo Mignone
