I. Core Mandatory Requirement for INAIL (Italy’s National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work)
This easily overlooked rule is the leading cause of penalties for most enterprises.
Reporting Trigger Condition
If the estimated medical rest and recovery period for an injured employee exceeds 3 days (the day of the accident is excluded from the count), the employer must submit the Workplace Injury Notification (Denuncia di infortunio).
Critical Reporting Deadline (Top Priority)
HR or the company must complete the filing within 2 calendar days upon receiving key information from the employee’s medical certificate.
⚠️ Important Reminder: This refers to calendar days, not working days. Fridays, weekends and public holidays are all included in the timeframe; the deadline will not be extended to the next working day.
Basic Medical Information Required for Initial Filing
A full accident dossier is not needed to launch the preliminary submission. Only four core pieces of information are required:
Medical certificate reference number, issue date issued by the doctor/hospital, estimated rest period, and official medical certificate document (screenshot or PDF is acceptable).
II. Severe Penalties for Late Submission — Heavy fines apply even for delays of just 1–2 days
INAIL penalties for late reporting are not tiered according to the length of delay. Once the deadline is breached, fixed fines apply, ranging from EUR 1,290 to EUR 7,745.
Practical Warning
Even if INAIL has not yet issued an official penalty notice, the risk of sanctions takes effect immediately. Once a penalty document is received, enterprises must settle the full fine by the specified deadline using the designated reference code; there is no grace period or exemption.
Many HR practitioners mistakenly believe filing can be postponed pending complete documentation. However, the INAIL reporting deadline will not be suspended while internal materials are gathered. Waiting until all documents are ready before submission will directly trigger penalty clauses.
III. Four Common Compliance Pitfalls for Overseas Enterprises
Pitfall 1: Wait until all accident materials are collected before filing
In road traffic accident cases, companies tend to gather comprehensive records including travel routes, motor insurance documents, accident liability findings, witness statements and vehicle licence plates for unified submission.
Correct compliance logic: File first, supplement materials later. You may mark information as “pending confirmation” and complete the initial filing ahead of receiving full supporting records.
Pitfall 2: An accident occurring on Friday can be processed the following Monday
The 2-calendar-day deadline includes weekends. If the medical certificate is obtained on Friday, Saturday and Sunday count towards the time limit. Delaying until Monday will inevitably result in late submission.
Pitfall 3: Align INAIL reporting with payroll adjustments for work injury leave
Work injury attendance tracking and payroll deductions fall under payroll operations. INAIL injury reporting is an independent compliance obligation. The two processes are not linked; do not delay filing pending payroll finalisation.
Pitfall 4: No emergency contact channels available during holidays
Most enterprises only liaise with local payroll vendors on working days. With no point of contact at weekends, the critical reporting window will be missed in the event of an accident.
IV. Standardised Emergency SOP — Directly Applicable for Workplace Injuries & Traffic Accidents
Step 1: Immediate employee notification, no delay
Regardless of injury severity, employees must inform their direct supervisor and company HR immediately after an incident. Reporting must not be delayed until the end of sick leave.
Step 2: Extract core medical certificate information on the same day
HR promptly requests the four key documents from the employee: certificate reference number, issue date, estimated rest period, and electronic copy of the official hospital certificate.
Step 3: Urgently notify the local payroll vendor on the same day
Standard email subject: URGENT – INAIL injury filing required
Even if accident narratives, vehicle details or insurance information are incomplete, instruct the vendor to initiate the preliminary filing first.
Step 4: Submit supplementary full accident dossier in subsequent stages
After completing initial notification, collect full records for supplementary filing: accident location, field work duties, commute route, motor insurance policy, vehicle plate number, witness details, injured party information, on-site photos and accident statements.
Step 5: Establish a 7×24 emergency communication mechanism
Assign one dedicated emergency contact respectively from Chinese HR, the Italian local entity and payroll vendor to enable timely handling of incidents occurring on weekends and public holidays.
V. Permanent INAIL Work Injury Emergency Checklist for Enterprises
All companies employing staff in Italy are recommended to store this checklist in the HR shared drive for item-by-item verification after an incident to avoid missing information:
Employee basic information: Full name, Italian tax code, staff ID
Accident details: Date & time of incident, precise location
Scenario classification: Working hours / field client visits / commute to and from work
Job purpose: Specific business activities during the outing
Injury record: Affected body part, brief injury description
Medical documents: Certificate number, issue date, estimated rest period
Accident supporting information: Other injured parties, witness contact details
Road accident specific items: Licence plate, insurer, vehicle owner and driver information
File attachments: Hospital certificate, accident statement, on-site photographs, insurance documents
VI. Long-Term Compliance Recommendations for Overseas Enterprises
For companies operating in Italy with field client visits, warehouse inspections, cross-region business trips and remote working commutes, implement three permanent internal policies:
- Formal internal rule: Employees must report any work injury to HR on the day of occurrence.
- Clear HR accountability: Escalate medical certificate information to the local payroll vendor on the day of receipt.
- Process fault tolerance mechanism: Mark missing information as “pending confirmation” and prioritise filing before supplementary documentation.
This seemingly rigorous preliminary workflow can simultaneously avoid heavy fines, repeated payroll corrections and delays in employees’ work injury benefits, lowering overall overseas employment compliance risks.
Gonex Human Resource Solutions for Italy
Gonex holds a legally established local entity in Italy and acts as the formal legal employer to sign compliant employment contracts with local staff. Client companies only manage staff task allocation and performance appraisal. Gonex takes full responsibility for payroll disbursement, social insurance contributions, labour dispute resolution, termination settlement and compliance evidence collation, fundamentally eliminating the risk of non-compliant employment for clients.
In addition, Gonex provides end-to-end Work Visa services for expatriate staff assigned to Italy. Supported by sufficient visa quotas and complete employer qualifications, we assist companies expanding into Italy with expatriate work visas, employment permits, residence permits, visa renewal, visa modification and dependent family visas, ensuring expatriate employees can commence overseas operations smoothly.
Overseas enterprises expanding into Italy are welcome to scan the code to connect with our dedicated cross-border HR consultants for customised full-cycle compliant employment solutions. A specialist overseas HR advisor will contact you within 1–2 working days to design tailored compliance frameworks. We can also provide overseas HR compliance solutions for other countries and regions upon consultation.
Why Gonex?
Experienced Management Team: each member in the team has 10+ years experiences in Overseas Human Resources Management, composed of seasoned HR professionals.
Powerful connection: Gonex has established over 10 entities worldwide, along with more than 30 stable partners, together offering the most comprehensive overseas human resource services to our clients.
Strict compliance with laws and regulations: At every step in our service process, Gonex strictly adheres to local laws and regulations, ensuring our clients completely avoid any legal disputes.
Competitive price: Gonex’s services are 20% more affordable compared to other companies in the industry, allowing our clients to allocate more resources to their core business.
What Gonex offer?
Employment of Record: This service helps clients legally hire employees in countries or regions where they do not have a legal entity established.
Payroll BPO service: This includes payroll project implementation plan development, project deployment, payroll calculation, payment of funds, administration of statutory and supplementary benefits, customized reporting, and other comprehensive payroll services.
Global Mobility: Based on the company’s internationalization strategy, the company assigns employees to overseas branches/subsidiaries and handles visa and tax matters in accordance with local policies, while assisting in the compliance management of employees throughout their international assignment life cycle.
GONEX One-Stop Solution: Your strategic partner
Compliance and Legal Adherence: GONEX’s Employer of Record (EOR) service ensures legal compliance in employing local staff.
Cross-Border Payroll and Tax Management: Streamlined payroll services simplify cross-border management.
Flexible Employment Solutions: Adaptable employment services cater to changing business needs.
International Talent Dispatch: Support services facilitate the dispatch of key talent to overseas.
Digital HR Management Platform: Technology-driven solutions enhance management efficiency and cultural integration.
Who do we serve?
Gonex served 70+ clients to expand overseas. The incomes of our clients like Mengniu, Kuaishou and CHINT are up to 192.4 billion.
Let Gonex assist you and your company with handling such complex overseas hiring processes! To access more information on corporate international expansion cases, global employment guidelines, worldwide compensation management, regulations for various regional countries, and factory establishment manuals in different nations, you are welcome to visit the GONEX official website at www.letsgonex.com to download these resources or view our company’s business introduction in PDF format (https://letsgonex.com/in.pdf).
