[Disabled people in current economically critical situation. Statistics, legislation and institutions, role of occupational physician].

The number of employed disabled people decreased in 2008-2009 while there has been an increase in the number of temporary contracts and employed disabled women. The work admission of foreign disabled workers has decreased whereas admission of people with psychic problems has been positively assessed. The ASL (Local Health Service) occupational physicians face some difficulties in the Civil Disability Boards for the excessive number of patients and because of the conflict between their inspective role in institutional activity and their task of checking working conditions of disabled workers. Often company physicians do not follow disabled people from recruitment or when not subjected to health surveillance. In addition they face difficulties when companies intend to fire a disabled person or ask for unsuitable work performances. Generally speaking, specialists working in INAIL (Italian Workers' Compensation Authority) are not adequately integrated with subjects/agencies/organizations working in the specific sector of targeted employment and their forensic physicians are not allowed to monitor disabled people conditions within the company.