Italy Tells Employers: Put AI on the Risk Register by 23 October
Published on 10/21/2026 at 23:11 | Editorial boerse-global.de
From 23 October 2026, Italian workplaces — public and private alike — must formally assess artificial intelligence as an occupational health hazard. Legislative Decree D.Lgs. n. 179/2026, which transposes the EU AI Act and specifically its Article 42, obliges any organisation running AI technologies, algorithms or automation to examine what those systems do to the psychophysical wellbeing of its staff and to update its workplace safety document (DVR, the Documento di Valutazione dei Rischi) accordingly. The portal umbria.it reported the requirement on 21 October 2026.
Four areas to audit
The decree sets out where employers must look when revising their paperwork. Organisation and work tasks form the first area. Operational processes come next, including personal protective equipment fitted with sensors. A third covers control over work rhythms where shifts are scheduled algorithmically. The fourth takes in processes and maintenance work carried out with the help of predictive algorithms.
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Specific strains arising from digitalisation sit at the centre of the assessment. Technostress, anxiety about algorithmic monitoring and potential error sources stemming from faulty model outputs — so-called AI hallucinations — all have to be recorded and evaluated systematically.
Safety officers, doctors and worker reps sign off together
Compliance is a shared job. The DVR update is produced jointly by the company's prevention and protection service (RSPP), the responsible occupational physician (Medico Competente) and the workplace safety representative (RLS).
When safety duties are shared across several roles, everyone needs to work from the same documents. A free health and safety toolkit bundles risk assessments, checklists and toolbox talks in one download, so officers, physicians and representatives can all sign off on the same up-to-date record. Get the free Health & Safety Toolkit
Once the 23 October 2026 deadline arrives, employers are expected to map the systems they use, complete the documentation update and run targeted training for their workforce. At national level, the Italian labour ministry coordinates implementation and works alongside the country's labour inspectorate, INL.
