Safety Beyond Borders: Occupational Injuries and Mortality in Italy, and Risk Disparities Between Italian and Foreign Workers – 2025 Update.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Occupational health and safety represents a fundamental right and a priority objective for the protection of workers, regardless of sex, ethnic origin, or cultural background (Legislative Decree 81/08). In Italy, despite an articulated preventive regulatory framework, the phenomenon of occupational injuries continues to present relevant dimensions and significant risk disparities. In the period from 2021 to 2024 foreign workers accounted for more than 10% of the national workforce, being predominantly employed in working sectors with high risk exposure. The following study analyzes the trends of workplace’s injuries and mortality in Italy, with particular attention to the disparities between Italian and foreign workers, in order to evaluate the association between nationality and accident risk while considering cultural, linguistic, educational factors, and risk perception.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study is based on the analysis of data extracted from the Open Data databases of the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL), relating to claims of workplace injuries and fatalities. To define the rates, the event numerator was cross-referenced with employment data extracted from the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) Labor Force surveys and the statistical dashboards of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, covering the period from 2021 to 2025 provvisional / unverified data from 2025.

RESULTS

In the period analysed, foreign workers presented a workplace’s injury rate more than twice as high compared to Italian workers. The greatest critical issues are observed in sectors with a high intensity of physical risk, such as construction, agriculture, transport, and manufacturing. The data also highlight a disproportionate share of fatalities among foreign workers in relation to their overall impact on the workforce. Language and cultural boundries, together with the lower effectiveness of standardized training, are associated with a reduced understanding of operating procedures and prevention measures; furthermore, the presence of irregular working conditions, such as undeclared work, may also contribute to these factors.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

As evidenced by injury and mortality data, cultural and linguistic differences significantly influence risk perception and safety behaviors, thereby contributing to the heightened employment vulnerability of foreign workers. The findings of this study indicate that current, predominantly standardized training models are insufficient to guarantee effective prevention within multicultural work environments. It is therefore necessary to develop targeted preventive strategies grounded in intercultural training courses, multilingual tools, cultural mediation, and systematic learning assessments, alongside interventions aimed at combating irregular working conditions that may amplify risk exposure. Promoting an inclusive and participatory safety culture represents a pivotal element in mitigating workplace injury and mortality rates, transforming prevention from mere regulatory compliance into a shared and sustainable process.