A delegation of the Governorate meets Rome’s Facilities Team of the Tri-mission of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See

Challenges and accessibility in work environments and respect of the historical and artistic heritage

The theme of accessibility, which is part of a larger American programme called Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) was at the heart of the encounter between a delegation of the Governorate of Vatican City State and the Tri-mission Rome’s Facilities Team of the Embassy of the United States of America to the Holy See.

The aim of the meeting which took place on Thursday morning, 27 June, at the U.S. embassy in Rome, was to present the Tri-Mission Rome’s Facilities Team to technical experts of the Governorate and to exchange technical experiences and practices on the theme of accessibility. During the meeting, discussions turned to the many challenges that exist. In particular the priority of the security of people was highlighted as well as respect of the historical and artistic heritage, seeking where possible, for solutions that would allow a greater and more inclusive use of spaces.

In order to face this challenge, the Embassy has allotted part of the yearly budget of the Facility Management Office for the necessary interventions, the first of which, have the aim of guaranteeing accessibility to all areas that welcome the public to services provided by the Embassy to U.S. citizens. They include an access ramp and special lifts, and where possible, works to level the floor  to access buildings, always respecting historical, artistic and security rules.

Another object of reflection was the comparison between U.S. norms, in particular the Safety Program Coordinator, Vatican norm and Italian norms on safeguarding the health and safety of workers, especially in reference to the urgency linked to the correct practical implementation of rules on extremely particular and complex aspects involved in protecting the heritage and on safety, concerns that are shared by the parties.

During the meeting, participants discussed the need to correctly manage these specific characteristics of work environments in such  a way as to guarantee the protection of workers with frailties, irrespective of the type of frailty, and reaching a “customized” approach to evaluate the health of specific needs, placing the person at the forefront, according to the concepts of “Disability Management” and “Total Worker Health”, a current issue in the United States of America,

The central idea is precisely accessibility to spaces inside the Embassy, supervised by the Deputy Facility Manager & Post Occupational Safety and Health Officer.

During the meeting, it emerged that the Embassy has some historical and structural obligations that led to identifying the areas that are accessible and those that are not, and subsequently, establish where works can be carried out and where they cannot, in accordance with the historical and structural obligations.

Also highlighted was the fact that there is not always an opportunity to make some areas accessible to all. In that case, an alternative solution has to be found, through indirect means.

The following people were part of the delegation of the Governorate: Salvatore Farina, Director of the Directorate for Infrastructures and Services, Antonino Battaglia, Planning Supervisor of the same Directorate, Gianluca Cacciani, Internal Auditor of the Directorate of the Economy, Marco D’Ignazio, of the Supervision of the Heritage of the same Directorate, Luigi Carbone, Vice Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene, Paolo Emilio Santoro, Supervisor of Occupational Medicine of the same Directorate, Tommaso Marrone, Assessor of Health and Safety in the workplace of the same Directorate, Ilaria Durante of the Directorate of the Economy, Paola Santificetur, Assistant for health and safety in the workplace of the Directorate of Hygiene.

The following people represented the Tri- Mission at the meeting: Laura Hochla, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the United States of America to the Holy See, Paul Furgiuele, Deputy Facility Manager & Post Occupational Safety and Health Officer (POSHO), Katherine Meredith, Senior Financial Management Officer, Andrea Battilocchi, Supervisory Engineer, Raffaella Scorretti, architect, Gabriele Di Mario, O&M Supervisor, Sara Greengrass, Political and Economic Section Chief, Alyce Ahn, Political and Economic Officer, Chiara Di Mizio, Professional Development Specialist.