The Condominium as Client: Site Safety, DURC and Duties

When a condominium entrusts works to a firm it becomes the client, and the manager in practice takes on the duties that safety law places on the client. They must verify the firm's technical and professional suitability, check the single contribution regularity document (DURC), appoint the safety coordinator when several firms operate on site, and send the preliminary notification in the cases required. Neglecting these steps exposes the manager to civil and criminal liability in the event of an accident.

Who the client is in a condominium

In the language of workplace safety the client is the party on whose behalf the work is carried out. In a condominium this role belongs to the community of owners, but it is the manager, as legal representative, who in practice exercises its functions and answers for the connected duties. The manager may designate a works officer, an external technician, to whom some tasks are delegated, but the delegation must be genuine and documented to have a discharging effect.

Checking the firm's suitability

Before entrusting the works the manager must ascertain that the firm is technically and professionally suitable. This means verifying its registration with the chamber of commerce, the availability of adequate equipment and staff, the training of workers and its contribution regularity. Entrusting works to a firm lacking these requirements is not only imprudent: it makes the manager co-liable in the event of an accident, because choosing a suitable firm is one of the client's own duties.

The DURC

The single contribution regularity document certifies that the firm is up to date with its social security and insurance payments to the competent bodies. The manager must obtain it before awarding the works and verify its validity, because an irregular DURC signals a firm at risk and can trigger the client's joint liability for unpaid contributions. The DURC should be kept in the works file together with the suitability documentation and the firm's insurance cover.

• Verifying the technical and professional suitability of the appointed firm
• Obtaining and checking a valid DURC
• Appointing the design-phase and execution-phase coordinators where required
• Sending the preliminary notification to the supervisory body in the cases set by law
• Verifying the firm's civil liability insurance cover

The safety coordinator

When the site involves the presence, even non-simultaneous, of more than one firm, the client must appoint the safety coordinator for the design phase and the execution phase. The design-phase coordinator draws up the safety and coordination plan; the execution-phase one oversees the implementation of the measures and coordinates the firms present. Failure to appoint, when due, can make the manager directly liable for any accident, even without technical safety expertise of their own.

The preliminary notification

On sites exceeding certain thresholds of duration or scale the client must send the competent supervisory body the preliminary notification, stating the details of the site, the firms and the coordinators. A copy must be displayed on site. It is a formal but substantial requirement: omitting it is penalised and signals non-conforming safety management. The manager should check with the coordinator whether the site is among those subject to notification.

The manager's liability

A manager who fails to meet the client's duties may be civilly liable for loss suffered by workers or third parties and criminally liable for breaching specific legal obligations. Liability exists even where the manager has no technical safety expertise, precisely because the law requires them to rely on qualified professionals. The correct path is to appoint the coordinators promptly, delegate in a documented way and keep all the site documentation.

Keeping track of DURC deadlines, coordinator appointments, notifications and documentation for every site reduces risk and simplifies the manager's work. With AmministraPro you can archive safety documents, monitor deadlines and keep the complete file for each intervention: the tools are described on the features page and the plans on the pricing page.