Productions, events and workplaces increasingly rely on a complex network of contractors, suppliers and self-employed professionals, making DUVRI and contractor management a crucial part of daily operations.

Technical crews, equipment rental companies, catering services, electricians, cleaning companies, security providers and many other external organisations may operate at the same location, sometimes at the same time.

When several companies share a workplace, managing each contractor’s individual risks is not enough. The interaction between their activities must also be assessed and coordinated.

This is one of the key principles behind Article 26 of Italian Legislative Decree 81/2008, which regulates health and safety obligations connected with contracts for works, services and supplies.

More than checking documents

Contractor management should begin before the activity starts.

Under Article 26, where the relevant conditions apply, the client employer must verify the technical and professional suitability of contractors or self-employed workers and provide them with detailed information about the specific risks present in the workplace and the prevention and emergency measures in place.

But documentation is only the first step.

The companies involved must cooperate and coordinate their health and safety measures, exchanging information to identify and control risks created by the interaction between different activities.

This is particularly important in dynamic environments such as film productions and events, where working conditions can change rapidly and different suppliers may operate simultaneously in the same area.

What is the DUVRI?

Where required, the client employer promotes this coordination through the DUVRI – Documento Unico di Valutazione dei Rischi da Interferenze, which can be translated as the Interference Risk Assessment Document.

The purpose of the DUVRI is not to replace the contractor’s own risk assessment.

Instead, it focuses on interference risks: risks generated when the activities of different companies, workers or organisations interact within the same workplace.

The document identifies the measures required to eliminate these risks or, where elimination is not possible, reduce them to a minimum. It must also be updated when the organisation of the work, services or supplies changes.

Typical areas that may require coordination include:

• simultaneous activities carried out by different contractors;
• shared access routes and vehicle movements;
• electrical installations, temporary equipment and technical areas;
• emergency procedures, restricted areas and interaction with workers or members of the public.

A practical process, not just a document

One of the most common mistakes is treating the DUVRI as a document to be prepared, signed and filed.

Effective contractor management requires a continuous process.

Before work begins, responsibilities, work areas, access arrangements and potential interactions should be clearly defined. During the activity, coordination should continue through site meetings, briefings, inspections and updates whenever conditions change.

For productions and events, this becomes particularly relevant during load-in, set-up, filming or live activity, dismantling and load-out, when several contractors may be working under significant time pressure.

A change in schedule, the arrival of an additional supplier or the relocation of technical equipment can introduce new interference risks and may require the coordination measures to be reviewed.

From compliance to coordination

Good supplier management is therefore not simply about collecting certificates or requesting risk assessments.

It means understanding who will be working, where they will be working, what they will be doing and how their activities may affect everyone else on site.

The DUVRI, where applicable, becomes part of this wider coordination process.

When contractor management is integrated into planning from the beginning, health and safety becomes easier to manage on site, responsibilities become clearer and unexpected conflicts between activities can be significantly reduced.

At Framinia Services, we support companies and productions in contractor qualification, interference risk assessment, DUVRI preparation and the coordination of health and safety activities involving multiple suppliers and contractors.

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