Italy's New Safety Decree Redraws the Line Between Work Uniforms and Protective Gear
Published on 10/22/2026 at 03:31 | Editorial boerse-global.de
A high-visibility vest is not just a vest anymore — at least not in Italy. Under the country's Decreto Sicurezza (Safety Decree), in force since 31 December 2025, work clothing that performs a genuine protective function is now explicitly classified as personal protective equipment (PPE), the category Italians call DPI. The shift moves the legal test away from how a garment is commercially graded or how its manufacturer labels it, and toward what the clothing actually does to keep the wearer safe on the job.
Function, not label, settles the question
What matters is the role a garment plays in the workplace. Items such as high-visibility vests or weatherproof jackets worn in designated risk zones fall under the protective-equipment rules. Ordinary workwear and service uniforms with no specific protective effect stay in the simpler category of work clothing and do not count as PPE.
Once a garment is classed as PPE, employers face a broad set of duties. Article 77 of Italy's Legislative Decree 81/08 (D.Lgs. 81/08) requires employers to ensure the efficiency of the equipment, along with regular maintenance, repair, timely replacement, hygiene and proper use. The National Labour Inspectorate (Ispettorato Nazionale del Lavoro) checks compliance during workplace inspections.
Collective measures come first
Italian occupational safety law starts from the principle that PPE becomes mandatory only when workplace hazards cannot be avoided or sufficiently reduced through collective protective measures. There is no blanket requirement for sectors such as construction, logistics or outdoor work. Instead, the need follows from the individual risk assessment at each workplace.
Whether a vest counts as PPE or not, the decision has to be backed by a documented risk assessment — and too many employers underestimate that gap until an inspector asks for the paperwork. A free toolkit gives you 41 ready-to-use templates and checklists, covering everything from fire safety to manual handling, so the reasoning behind your PPE choices is recorded and defensible. Download the free Risk Assessment Toolkit
At European level, Regulation (EU) 2016/425 governs the placing on the market and marketing of protective equipment, while technical standards set out the qualitative requirements in parallel.
The standard EN ISO 13688:2013, for instance, lays down general criteria for protective clothing — harmlessness of materials, ergonomics, dimensional stability and marking — but on its own guarantees no protection against specific hazards such as chemicals, flames or cuts.
For high-visibility warning clothing in high-risk settings, the standard UNI EN ISO 20471 distinguishes three classes: Class 1 for a low, Class 2 for a medium and Class 3 for the highest level of protection. The classification is based on the minimum surface areas of fluorescent and retroreflective material used. For medium-risk situations, by contrast, the applicable standard is EN 17353, which should not be equated with EN ISO 20471.
When a company logo undermines certification
After-market customisation of warning clothing is a recurring source of dispute in practice. Adding print to high-visibility vests can compromise conformity with EN ISO 20471 if fluorescent fabric is covered, reflective strips are printed over, or the required minimum surface areas fall below the threshold.
Large or dark company logos on the back, the chest or directly beneath the reflective strips are considered especially critical. Smaller emblems in designated print zones may be permissible, but they require the manufacturer to confirm that the finished version still meets the standard.
Getting PPE selection and maintenance right is only one piece of your legal duties — and inspectors expect the whole picture to be in order. A free Health & Safety Toolkit bundles the risk assessments and checklists that UK employers need to stay on the right side of the rules, including PPE, fire safety and first aid. Over 37,000 UK businesses already rely on it. Get the free Health & Safety Toolkit
Other European countries likewise base their rules primarily on the assessed workplace risk. Polish labour law, for example, contains no general ban on short work trousers; whether they are allowed depends on the risk assessment. While shorts are not permitted for tasks such as welding, metal grinding or chainsaw work, safety shoes remain mandatory regardless of how long the trousers are.
