Atti del 52° Congresso Nazionale: Società Italiana di Igiene, Medicina Preventiva e Sanità Pubblica (SItI)

pathologies, responsible for more than 50% of absences from work, unsuitability, limitations and permanent unfitness for work. The analysis of the national context on the trend of work-related diseases highlights a progressive increase of these over the last 5 years. In 2017, there were around 58 thousand complaints of occupational diseases (about 2,200 less than in 2016), with an increase of about 25% compared to 2012. The professional cause was identified in 33% of the reported diseases while, as for the type, the musculoskeletal diseases (65.75% of the complaints) rank the highest. The contrast to the spread of chronic diseases, recently promoted by WHO with the 2020 Health Program, is also of particular relevance in terms of occupational health protection, since many of the chronic-degenerative age-related diseases, once they arise, can condition people's quality of life, progressively and permanently compromising their level of autonomy and work capacity, strongly affecting the system productivity. The repercussions observed in terms of employment can be different: reduced productivity, absence due to illness, demotion, interruption of the employment relationship which, depending on the case, can be an early retirement, a recognition of disability indemnified by the government, or even a dismissal. Healthcare is one of the labor fields most involved in the phenomenon of the increased incidence of work-related diseases, mainly connected with exposure to risk factors due to biomechanical overload (disorders and pathologies of the musculoskeletal system) and psycho-social discomfort (work distress, burn-out, etc.) and work-related stress. An interesting element of reflection at national level is represented by the study on the phenomenon of personnel limitations in healthcare companies (HC) (CERGAS of Bocconi University, 2015) . The national data showed percentage values that range between 10.70% of the territorial companies and 22.60% of the IRCCS (total value of the invalidity equal to 11.8%) of the total amount of the workforce, which corresponds to a total of 16,266 people with impairments. As the research has clearly confirmed a strong relationship between work restrictions and workers age, it is essential that all health authorities take this aspect into consideration in order to systematically address their policies by the application of the management models of "disabilities". On the basis of consolidated international experiences, it is possible to apply the Disability Management (DM) model to the company system, without disregarding the active participation of all the key figures of occupational prevention and in particular the managerial function of the Occupational Medicine. The term DM refers to a model theorized in the 1980s, initially developed in North America and Europe, which today is still poorly applied in Italy, aimed at reducing the impact of invalidity (deriving from disability, illness or accident) on the individuals' capability to effectively carry out their work activities. The DM model has been developed with the aim of matching the productive interests of the company with the needs of disabled or sick workers to find a job that satisfies them, not only in economic terms, but also on a human and social level. In fact, DM intends to offer support to employees suffering from chronic illnesses or disabilities in order to optimize their professional performance, limiting the negative effects of the disease on th