The recent updates to NR-1 (Regulatory Standard No. 1), published by the Ministry of Labor and Employment, brought important changes to health and safety management within companies.

Among the main advances is the inclusion of psychosocial risk factors in Occupational Risk Management (GRO) and the Risk Management Program (PGR).

In practice, this means that organizations must now look not only at physical accidents and traditional operational risks, but also at emotional, organizational, and relational aspects that can directly impact employees' mental health.

The update reinforces that prevention of emotional illness is also part of workplace safety.

What are psychosocial risks?

Psychosocial risks are related to how work is structured, conducted, and experienced on a daily basis by professionals.

These factors can arise from both work organization and the dynamics between teams, leadership, and corporate demands.

Among the main examples are:

  • Excessive pressure;

  • Work overload;

  • Excessive targets;

  • Prolonged work hours;

  • Lack of adequate breaks;

  • Exhausting organizational environment;

  • Moral harassment;

  • Lack of leadership support;

  • Internal conflicts;

  • Continuous occupational stress;

  • Emotional exhaustion.

When persistent, these factors can generate important impacts on workers' physical and emotional health, favoring situations such as:

  • Anxiety;

  • Burnout syndrome;

  • Insomnia;

  • Irritability;

  • Drop in productivity;

  • Chronic fatigue;

  • Work absences;

  • Cardiovascular problems related to stress.

What changes in practice for companies?

With the update to NR-1, each company must evaluate its own organizational reality and identify factors that may contribute to physical or emotional illness in workers.

This means that there is no single model or mandatory standardized tool for all organizations.

The analysis should consider aspects such as:

  • How work is performed;

  • Organization of activities and demands;

  • Organizational conditions;

  • Internal communication;

  • Work hours and work pace;

  • Performance demands;

  • Exposure to occupational stress;

  • Relationship between leadership and teams;

  • Corporate environment dynamics.

The Ministry of Labor itself clarifies that the company has autonomy to define the most appropriate methodology for its reality, as long as there is technical coherence, prevention, and continuous monitoring.

How do psychosocial risks appear in different sectors?

Offices and administrative companies

There may be factors related to pressure for targets, excessive meetings, cognitive overload, accumulation of demands, and difficulty balancing personal and professional life.

Clinics, hospitals, and healthcare

Healthcare professionals frequently deal with high emotional burden, continuous responsibility, human suffering, extended work hours, and psychological exhaustion associated with constant patient care.

Industries and operational sectors

Extended shifts, repetitiveness, pressure for productivity, and physical exhaustion can significantly contribute to occupational stress and emotional exhaustion.

Commerce and customer service

Continuous exposure to the public, sales targets, constant demands, and daily emotional pressure can favor professional burnout.

How can I help your company?

As a general physician, I work in an educational, preventive, and humanized manner to support companies that wish to better understand the updates to NR-1 and develop strategies aimed at promoting health and quality of life in the corporate environment.

The goal is to help organizations identify factors that may favor occupational illness, as well as contribute to building healthier, more sustainable, and preventive corporate environments.

I can assist with:

  • Corporate health education;

  • Educational lectures and training;

  • Guidance on mental health at work;

  • Preventive strategies related to occupational stress;

  • Health and wellness promotion programs;

  • Corporate quality of life;

  • Healthy habits in the professional environment;

  • Preventive guidance on Burnout;

  • Educational support for leadership and teams;

  • Practical understanding of concepts related to GRO (occupational risk management), PGR (risk management program), and psychosocial factors provided for in NR-1.

What does the Ministry of Labor emphasize about NR-1?

According to the official guidelines of the Ministry of Labor, companies must:

  • Identify occupational hazards;

  • Assess existing risks;

  • Implement preventive measures;

  • Continuously monitor processes related to occupational health.

The agency also emphasizes that:

  • There is no single mandatory tool;

  • Isolated questionnaires are insufficient;

  • The assessment must consider the company's specific reality;

  • Worker participation is relevant;

  • Monitoring should be continuous and preventive.

Mental health is also part of workplace safety

The update to NR-1 reinforces a point that is increasingly relevant in today's corporate scenario: emotional health and physical health go together.

Companies that invest in prevention, quality of life, and healthier organizational environments tend to present benefits such as:

  • Reduction of absences;

  • Greater productivity;

  • Better team engagement;

  • Reduction of professional exhaustion;

  • Strengthening of organizational climate;

  • Development of a more sustainable corporate culture.

More than a regulatory requirement, attention to mental health represents an evolution in how organizations view people, performance, and sustainability in the workplace.

Important

This content is exclusively educational and informative in purpose.

The information presented does not replace medical evaluation.

Dr. Rebeca Soares Andrade CRM-GO 39335