Italy Scraps 60-Day Grace Period: Safety Training Now Starts on Day One

Employers in Italy can no longer wait two months before putting new hires through workplace safety training. A notice from the country's labour inspectorate has closed that window entirely.

The clarification comes in Nota prot. 2377/2026, issued by the Istituto Nazionale del Lavoro (INL) on 27 October 2026. Under Article 37(4) of Legislative Decree D.Lgs. 81/2008, the training obligation applies from the very first moment of the employment relationship, the INL states.

What disappeared was a 60-day transitional period originally set out in the state-regions agreement Accordo Stato-Regioni of 21 December 2011. The replacement agreement, Accordo Stato-Regioni No. 59/CSR of 17 April 2025, simply did not carry the deadline forward — and with it gone, so is any cushion for employers.

When the training clock starts on day one, the paperwork has to keep pace — and gaps in your safety documentation are exactly where inspectors look first. A free toolkit gives you 41 ready-to-use templates and checklists, covering everything from fire safety to manual handling, so your records stand up to scrutiny. Download the free Risk Assessment Toolkit

What Happens After an Inspector Shuts a Business Down

Companies hit with a suspension order under Article 14 of D.Lgs. 81/2008 also get guidance. Lifting such a measure does not require that training already be finished. It is enough that a course is firmly scheduled and will be completed in the shortest possible time.

The protocol drawn up under Article 20 of D.Lgs. 758/1994 fixes a deadline for this, capped at the length of the course technically required.

Tourism and Hospitality: 30 Days, but No Idle Time

Different rules apply to businesses in tourism and gastronomy covered by Article 5 of Law L. 287/1991. Thanks to Article 1-bis of Decree D.L. 159/2025, converted into Law L. 198/2025, these sectors may complete training within 30 days of the start of work.

Even so, the inspectorate makes clear that instruction must get under way immediately, on day one. Should an inspection land inside that 30-day window, the business has to show that steps were already taken.

Acceptable evidence includes a certified course booking sent by PEC (Italy's legally recognised certified email), involvement of the joint safety bodies known as Organismo Paritetico, the engagement of instructors, or notification of the workplace safety representative (RLS). Without such proof, inspectors treat the situation as a breach of the core requirements in Article 37(1) of D.Lgs. 81/2008.

Very Short Contracts Must Fit Training In

Fixed-term arrangements lasting under 30 days in total get their own instruction: training has to be timed precisely against the contract so that workers are trained while still on assignment.

Separately, the INL stresses that the general duty on employers to inform workers under Article 36 of D.Lgs. 81/2008 remains fully in force. Training rules neither replace it nor push it back.

Proving you acted on day one often comes down to having the right documents ready before anyone asks. A free health and safety toolkit bundles risk assessments, checklists and toolbox talks so you can demonstrate compliance at a moment's notice — trusted by more than 37,000 businesses. Get the free Health & Safety Toolkit