Occupational diseases are illnesses contracted in the course of one’s work or as a result of a risk inherent in the work carried out.
They differ from accidents in that the cause of the disease is one that acts slowly and progressively on the organism (as opposed to a sudden cause or one that acts in a short period of time).
In Italy, there is a 'mixed' system of protection, in the sense that the diseases set out in the tables annexed to Consolidated Act No 1124/1965, updated by ministerial decree, are considered to be occupational, as are any other illnesses which the worker can prove to be attributable to their work.
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES: WHAT TO DO
The worker must provide the employer with the relevant information on the electronic medical certificate (identification number, date issued) within 15 days of the date on which the medical certificate was issued. Otherwise the worker loses the right to compensation for the period prior to reporting it.
The employee must submit the occupational disease report within five days of the date on which they notified their employer of their illness.
You can use the online occupational disease report service on the Inail (National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work) website (www.inail.it) to fill in and send the occupational disease report. The service can be accessed through SPID (the Italian Public Digital Identity System), the CNS (national services card) or the CIE (electronic identity card), and allows you to enter all the necessary details to send the report to the Inail (employer’s details, personal details and work details, etc.).
Employers can check the information relating to medical certificates for occupational diseases received electronically through Inail, using the online service ‘Search medical certificates' available on the Inail website under the reports and complaints services section.
