FS Italiane, the commitment to people. The Group is focusing on innovation, health and welfare

Rome, 8 April 2021

Procedures to clean and sanitise work environments, the use of smart working, measures to ensure the welfare of employees focussing on Covid-19 with quick testing for employees who have come into contact with suspected Covid cases and insurance coverage for those hospitalised because of the virus.

These are some of the measures that have been deployed by FS Italiane Group to combat and prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, and which have earned FS the WELL Health-Safety Rating, which has been developed by the International Well Building Institute of New York. The certification process assesses the procedures put in place to ensure a safe working environment, the protocols required to minimise the risk of infection in the company and the work carried out to improve response to emergency situations.

“This certification is a further confirmation of the commitment from the FS Group to guarantee people’s health and safety,” said Gianfranco Battisti, CEO and General Director of FS Italiane Group. “These are distinctive elements in the Group identity, and are amongst the main drivers of our development model. The route taken by FS, from even before the health emergency which is currently taking place, aims to spread a culture of responsible and shared safety, by increasingly involving people – both passengers and employees – in our company project.”

“We would like to congratulate the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group for having done everything to put the health and safety of its employees and passengers first, and by tackling the central issues arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, and also the broader questions linked to health and safety in the near future, said Rachel Hodgdon, the President and CEO of IWBI (the International Well Being Institute). “The Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group is the first company in Europe to be WELL Health-Safety Rated, and it can be seen as a pilot project for a healthy and resilient recovery that can also inspire other groups to start work again with confidence.”

“I am very happy to have run this project with a group like the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane that is important both at a domestic and an international level,” said Francesca Galati Bolognesi, Engineer, Architect, LEED AP, WELL Performance Testing Agent.  “This partnership underlines and strengthens the dedication and continued commitment that my team and I have always dedicated to the sustainability and welfare sector.”

The FS Group won the WELL Health-Safety Rating after a series of specific checks which showed that the definitive measures in the Recovery Plan and the Group’s anti-infection protocols comply with the requirements laid down by the certification.

The certification particularly recognised the commitment of the Group in the various welfare schemes to provide assistance to people both while at work and in their private lives. Right from the start of the health emergency, FS Italiane activated insurance coverage for employees who were hospitalised because of Covid-19. It has also taken part in the vaccine campaign against the flu, offering a financial contribution towards the cost of the vaccine to all employees who voluntarily decided to have a jab, and has laid on eighteen regional health facilities to carry out rapid testing for people who have had close contact with possible Covid cases.

As part of the contribution to restarting the country, FS has worked in partnership with the Italian Red Cross at the vaccination facility at Roma Termini station and has offered full cooperation in vaccinating all Group employees, using its own facilities and health staff.

Through Trenitalia, over the past few months the FS Italiane Group has obtained the Biosafety Trust Certification, which was developed by the RINA testing authority and which recognises best practices in preventing and checking infections. This is a reflection of the significant work done to ensure the highest levels of hygiene and sanitisation for travellers and employees.