Here is the ergonomics legislation from
Italy
The information here was collated from publicly available online sources by Ergo Global ergonomist, Fiona Tan. Some parts may have been edited for clarity or layout.
The Duties of
The Employer
Title VII Equipment equipped with Display screen Art. 174 Employer Obligations:
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The employer, shall carry out risk assessments, analysing the workplaces with particular regard to:
a) risks to sight and eyes
b) problems related to posture and physical or mental fatigue
c) ergonomic and environmental hygiene conditions. - The employer shall take appropriate measures to remedy the risks identified on the basis of the assessments referred to above, taking into account the sum or combination of the incidence of the risks identified.
- The employer shall organise and prepare the workplaces referred to in Article 173, in accordance with the minimum requirements set out in Annex XXXIV.
Art. 175 Daily Work:
- The worker has the right to a break in his activity by means of breaks or change of activity.
- In the absence of a contractual provision concerning the interruption referred to above, the worker shall in any case be entitled to a fifteen-minute break for every one hundred and twenty minutes of continuous application to the display screen.
- The methods and duration of interruptions may be established temporarily at individual level if the competent doctor shows the need.
- The break is considered to all intents and purposes an integral part of working hours and, as such, cannot be absorbed within agreements that provide for the reduction of overall working hours.
Art. 176 Health Surveillance:
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Workers shall be subject to the health surveillance referred to in Article 41, with particular reference to:
a) risks to sight and eyes
b) risks to the musculoskeletal system - Except in special cases requiring a different frequency determined by the competent doctor, the frequency of check-ups shall be every two years for workers classified as fit with prescriptions or limitations and for workers who have reached the age of fifty; five years in other cases.
- The employer shall provide workers with special visual correction devices at its own expense, depending on the activity carried out, when the outcome of the examinations referred to above shows that they are necessary and it is not possible to use normal correction devices.
Art. 177 Information and Training:
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In compliance with the general provisions of Article 18(1)(l), the employer must provide workers with information, in particular on:
1) the measures applicable to the workplace, on the basis of the analysis of the workplace referred to in Article 174
2) the methods of carrying out the activity
3) the protection of eyes and eyesight
Annex XXXIV on Minimum Requirements:
-
Refer to Annex XXXIV on minimum requirements for equipment and environment involving:
1) Screen
2) Keyboard
3) Work surface
4) Work seat
5) Laptop
6) Lighting
7) Noise
Regarding remote working:
- The employer must provide for the installation and maintenance of the tools needed for the worker to perform their duties.
- All rights and responsibilities related to health and safety at work remain unchanged for both parties.
- The employee manages the organization of their own work, respecting the schedules established by the company and its deadlines.
- The worker is entitled to the same training as the company’s in-person workers, and additionally training specific to teleworking and its related tools.
- The work performed by the teleworker can be monitored either electronically or by accessing the chosen workplace. If the office is in the employee’s home, they must give access to their employer.
- Teleworkers have the same collective rights as in-person workers.
The Duties of
The Employee
Art. 20 Workers' Obligations
- Every worker must take care of his or her own health and safety and that of other persons present at the workplace who are affected by his or her actions or omissions, in accordance with his or her training, instructions and the means provided by the employer.
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Workers must, in particular:
a) contribute, together with the employer, managers and supervisors, to the fulfilment of the obligations provided for the protection of health and safety in the workplace
b) observe the provisions and instructions given by the employer, managers and supervisors, for the purposes of collective and individual protection;
c) correctly use work equipment, substances and dangerous mixtures, means of transport, as well as safety devices
d) use the protective equipment made available to them appropriately
e) immediately report to the employer, manager or supervisor any deficiencies in the means and devices referred to in letters c) and d), as well as any dangerous condition of which they become aware, working directly, in case of urgency, within the scope of their powers and possibilities and without prejudice to the obligation referred to in letter f) to eliminate or reduce situations of serious and imminent danger, informing the workers' safety representative
f) not remove or modify the safety, signalling or control devices without authorisation
g) not to carry out on their own initiative operations or manoeuvres that are not within their competence or that may compromise their own safety or that of other workers
h) participate in training and training programs organized by the employer
i) undergo the health checks provided for by this legislative decree or in any case ordered by the competent doctor.
Penalties
For the violation of articles 174, paragraphs 2 and 3, 175, paragraphs 1 and 3, and 176, paragraphs 1, 3, 5:
a fine from €2,500 to €6,400, or imprisonment from 3 to 6 months
For the violation of articles 176, paragraph 6, and 177:
a fine from €750 to €4000, or imprisonment from 2 to 4 months
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