The Inail data relating to the first eight months of 2026 show an Italy marked by approximately 404,809 total reports of accidents occurring at work, an increase of 5.4% compared to the past year. This was pointed out by Anmil, the Association of disabled and disabled workers at work on the occasion of the 76th National Day for the Victims of Accidents at Work, which is celebrated today, 11 October.
With the 2.9% increase in reports of fatal accidents, the association states, "even that minimal negative change in the first seven months of the year is belied. From January to today, 701 workers have lost their lives and reports of occupational diseases have increased by 16.3%, reaching 74,542".
Anmil therefore calls for the establishment of the independent crime of 'murder at work' in the Italian legal system. "It is not a matter of justicialism - states President Amedeo Bozzer, recalling the bill presented to the Chamber on 19 March 2026 and currently being examined by the Justice Commission - but rather of inaugurating a new era of social justice which deserves solid foundations aimed at regaining the lost trust in the State's ability to protect the safety of workers. An era that finally restores dignity to the health and safety of workers through the institution of a National Labor Prosecutor's Office, capable of centralizing and standardizing the investigations on the matter, overcoming the harmful territorial fragmentation in force, and guided by a team of magistrates who are experts in the vast thematic scope that workplace safety encompasses. A Prosecutor's Office that finally teaches, in reality and not just in appearance", he adds.
The national celebrations are taking place this year in Longarone (Belluno), in memory of the Vajont disaster, with the patronage of the Municipality of Longarone, the Veneto Region and the Province of Belluno.
Mattarella: 'The Charter protects safety at work, prevention is needed'
On the occasion of the National Day, the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella sent the president of Anmil Bozzer a message in which he underlines that Longarone's choice recalls one of the most serious environmental disasters that have occurred in our country and sounds a warning of how necessary it is to place the life and dignity of each person at the center of every choice, starting from collective ones and those that characterize production and work contexts".
"The protection of health and safety in the workplace - continues the Head of State - finds its foundation in the principles of the Constitution. From them derives a concrete duty: to intervene on risks before they translate into accidents, through effective prevention, adequate training and protection measures capable of optimizing, for this purpose, the technological and organizational changes of work. The role of Anmil, a free association aimed at supporting the injured, survivors and their families with its activities, including representation, is precious. This is a commitment that combines the protection of rights with concrete support for people and accompaniment in the paths of inclusion and social and work reintegration after the accident. In this sense, Anmil operates as a true agent of the Constitution. The Republic's heartfelt thoughts and commitment go to the victims of workplace accidents and their families. This Day calls institutions and social forces to an unavoidable responsibility: to make prevention a permanent activity, so that no job can endanger the lives of those who carry it out", concludes the president.
Minister Calderone: 'The memory of the victims at work guides our choices'
"Longarone reminds us of one of the greatest tragedies in our history, the Vajont disaster of 9 October 1963. It is a place that reminds us how devastating the consequences can be when the risks are underestimated and how essential it is to make prevention a concrete and daily responsibility". This was stated by the Minister of Labour, Marina Calderone, in a video message for the National Day of Victims at Work.
"Memory does not only serve to remember, it serves above all to guide our choices. Prevention represents the first and most important form of protection of people's lives and dignity. Safety at work is built by intervening before an accident occurs, before a risk turns into a tragedy, before a family has to deal with an irreparable loss", he adds, "this is the direction that the government has chosen to strengthen with law decree number 159 of 2025, the largest organic intervention in on health and safety at work since the years of the consolidated law of 2008".
