Safety at work, seven-point discount on premium rate for virtuous companies

An additional discount of seven points on the premium rate will be available to all those companies that have recorded a favourable trend in occupational accidents and illnesses, after the first two years from the date of commencement of business. An important measure, worth more than 500 million euros next year alone,' Inail president, economist Fabrizio D'Ascenzo, tells us in a preview, a few days after the publication in the Official Gazette (General Series no. 254 of 31 October 2025, ed.) of the new Safety Decree (Decree 159 of 2025), desired by the Meloni government, and in particular by the Minister of Labour, Marina Calderone. 'I am very pleased with the launch of this measure, the result of a work of comparison and participation. The Inail will automatically recognise the bonus, without any demand on the part of companies'.

Going into detail, the proposed revision of the 'swing in bonus' rates for accident trends, D'Ascenzo continued, 'provides for an increase in the size of the reduction by 7 percentage points from a range of rates from 7 per cent to 30 per cent to a range of rates from 14 per cent to 37 per cent. On the other hand, the increasing rates in case of malus remain unchanged. The message is clear: companies that invest in security are valued, so they can receive a concrete economic benefit'.

The trend in occupational accidents and illnesses is observed each year to determine the rate of fluctuation of the average rate for accident trends and thus the rate applicable for the payment of the insurance premium. All companies that qualify under the law benefit from the bonus, with no limit on the availability of resources. The criteria for determining the fluctuation rates are governed by Articles 19 and 20 of the Ministerial Decree of 27 February 2019 and are based on a comparison between the accident rate of the insured company workings and the national average accident rate of the same workings, taking into account the company size. In the last period, the companies benefiting from the reduction were about 60%.

This is the background to the new intervention. The so-called 'bonus' for virtuous companies, explained D'Ascenzo, 'is linked to the observation over a three-year period of the company's accident trend after the first two years of activity and consists, as mentioned, of a percentage reduction in the average rate for the work performed in which employees are insured. This percentage (fluctuation in reduction of the average rate) varies according to the number of workers per year of the three-year period insured in the company's territorial insurance position (PAT). Well, the bonus is triggered when the accident trend of the three-year period is favourable. The accident trend of the company is assessed by the company accident rate, which is the ratio between the consequences of injury events calculated with the parameter of equivalent working days and the worker-years of the three-year period'.

The mechanism will work as follows. Between October and November of each year, Inail verifies the accident trend of the companies, calculates and communicates to the employer the reduced rate to be used to calculate the premium to be paid by 16 February of the following year. The percentage reduction in the average rate is predetermined. For smaller companies (worker-years in the three-year period less than or equal to 50) the rate reduction percentage is 7%, 11%, 14%, 18% and 21%. For medium-sized enterprises (worker-years of the three-year period less than or equal to 100) the percentage reduction is 8%, 12%, 16%, 20% and 24%. For larger companies (worker-years of the three-year period greater than or equal to 100.01) the percentage is 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%. Currently, all companies with employees in the industry management with a favourable accident trend are eligible for the bonus. The reduction fluctuation does not apply to fixed unit premiums, including those of self-employed artisans, and to contributions of agricultural holdings.