Current legislation governing workplace health and safety envisages the activation of a network of institutional actors in a Regional Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Inspection of Workplace Health and Safety (Note 1).
The objective of this committee is to plan and coordinate operations between competent health prevention authorities in accordance with both European and national measures in association with the State and the governments of regions and autonomous provinces.
The authorities involved are: Regione Veneto (regional directorates for: Prevention, Training, Employment, Artisans, Public Works), the SPISAL services of the Aziende ULSS, ARPAV, the Ministry of Employment and Social Policies' Regional Directorate for Employment, ISPESL, INAIL, INPS, Vigili del Fuoco (Fire brigade), ANCI, URPV, IPSEMA, Porto di Venezia, representatives of the region's major employers associations and trade unions, and ANMIL (Note 2).

The Committee coordinates the planning of prevention and inspection by official bodies (Note 3) and is called upon to develop the plans and projects devised by administrations at a national level; it also directs, plans and coordinates prevention and inspection in order to ensure competent bodies implement these measures consistently and to promote liaising, information, training and assistance by coordinating the institutions involved. The Committee also establishes priority measures within the jobs most at-risk; proposes intervention plans; collects and analyses information on accidents and risks in order to provide operational and technical solutions; promotes company and local agreements; and takes suitable steps to integrate the information archives of the institutions sitting on the Regional Coordination Committee so that they are up-to-date with the national information system for workplace health and safety.
The Regional Committee's plans are put into action by Provincial Coordination Committees (Note 4).
The 2010 plan for prevention, inspection, training and assistance came into force on 23 February 2010; the plan was approved by the Regional Coordination Committee in compliance with national objectives and involves the health and safety inspectorates of the Aziende ULSS, Ministry of Employment, INAIL, INPS, ISPESL, ARPAV and Vigili del fuoco.
The Provincial Coordination Committees are asked to draw up plans so that each authority can achieve its objectives as per the diagram (Note 5).
The table summarises the objectives for each authority for 2010; it also includes the coordinated action between authorities (Note 6) and shows the type of intervention that needs to be carried out. Inspections comprise a range of controls to be carried out in accordance with the competences of each authority; both criminal and administrative sanctions are envisaged should there be any irregularities. The number of local units (head offices or production units) subject to inspection is also planned; at times, as is the case for SPISAL, the inspections are divided by production sector.
The Workplace Hygiene and Safety Service (SPISAL) is part of the Aziende ULSS Prevention Department and inspects and monitors health and safety in both private and public workplaces (Note 7); the Provincial Employment Directorate (DPL), which is a local branch of the Ministry of Employment and Social Policy, has the task of planning and inspecting labour law, social security and tax issues, as well as ensuring laws governing employment and worker safety are implemented (Note 8).
The Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL) provides insurance for victims of workplace accidents and occupational illnesses, and thus ensures that contributions are made and labour relations are regular.
Italy's National Social Security Institute (INPS) also plays a part in ensuring insurance contributions are made and that labour relations are regular, while the Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili del Fuoco, Italy's fire-brigade (VVF), inspects premises to ensure that they meet fire prevention standards (Note 9).
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Prevention (ISPESL) is part of Italy's National Health Service (Note 10) and inspects plants and equipment (Note 11). The Regional Agency for Environmental Prevention and Protection in Veneto (ARPAV) also conducts periodic checks on work equipment and electrical systems, and also monitors exposure to harmful agents in the workplace (Table 13.3.1).