Computer safety and security policies: a technical issue enforced by law

In the Nineties, the European Union (EU) has promulgated several Directives in order to establish a common framework among the fifteen member countries, about safety at work and the right of the individuals to privacy. In order to fulfil its obligations, Italy has promulgated Law 94/626 for health and safety at work, and Law 96/676 for the rights of individuals to keep personal matters private. As a result, organizations and firms have been compelled to an extraordinary expensive effort involving the redesign of the working procedures and organizational structures. The new legislation is both a constraint and an opportunity and challenges the IT management and professionals to embed safety and security into systems and procedures. The objective of this paper is to present the Italian legislation and its links to the European contest.