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NR-1 guide

NR-1 and psychosocial risk

Since May 26, 2026, Brazil’s NR-1 requires companies to include work-related psychosocial risk factors in Occupational Risk Management (GRO). In practice, they must identify these risks, assess them with documented criteria, act on the causes and record the process, in the PGR where it applies.

See the NR-01 JourneySee the benchmark

Updated

How we got here

  1. MTE Ordinance No. 1,419Rewrites the Occupational Risk Management chapter of NR-1 and names psychosocial risk factors explicitly.
  2. The new text takes effectPsychosocial risks become part of the GRO, like physical, chemical and ergonomic risks.
  3. Since it took effectInspections under the double-visit ruleInspectors start by giving guidance, which does not exempt companies from complying.

What NR-1 is

NR-1 is Regulatory Standard No. 1 of Brazil’s Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE). It sets the general provisions for occupational health and safety and defines Occupational Risk Management (GRO), documented in the Risk Management Program (PGR) where it applies.

GRO
The continuous process of identifying hazards, assessing risks and adopting prevention measures.
PGR
The GRO document, with the risk inventory and the action plan.
Psychosocial risk
A condition of how work is organized, managed or shared, not a diagnosis of the person.

What the regulation requires

Five things the company must be able to show

NR-1 asks for a process, not just a document. The company chooses the method, but must show that it works in its real working conditions.

  1. 1

    Look at real working conditions

    Targets, working hours, organization, relationships and leadership are part of the analysis, by activity, role or exposure group.

  2. 2

    Listen to workers

    The view of the people doing the work is part of identifying hazards and reviewing measures.

  3. 3

    Assess and classify the risks

    Using severity and likelihood criteria that the company defines and documents itself.

  4. 4

    Act on the causes

    Prevention measures go into the action plan, with a schedule and a way to follow them up.

  5. 5

    Record and review

    The inventory and the action plan live in the PGR, where it applies, and are reviewed when follow-up shows that something did not work.

What NR-1 does not require

  • A single questionnaire
  • A single matrix
  • A single index

The Ministry of Labor and Employment has clarified that the regulation sets no single tool and that a questionnaire on its own does not prove management. Inspections tend to check the consistency between observed conditions, the inventory, the Preliminary Ergonomic Assessment (AEP), the action plan and the measures actually taken.

Risk factors

The 13 factors the benchmark tracks

Each factor can be measured with validated scales, such as COPSOQ, and cross-checked with sick leave, turnover, absenteeism and complaints.

  1. 01Excessive workloadMore tasks than the capacity to carry them out.
  2. 02High cognitive demandsIntense, complex and continuous mental demands.
  3. 03Violent or traumatic eventsExposure to violence or to situations with a strong emotional impact.
  4. 04Organizational justiceA perceived lack of fairness in decisions and processes.
  5. 05Change managementPoorly planned or poorly communicated transitions.
  6. 06Low autonomy and controlLittle freedom to decide how to do one’s own work.
  7. 07Job insecurityConstant uncertainty about keeping the job.
  8. 08Communication barriersFailures in passing on important information.
  9. 09Interpersonal conflictFrequent disagreements between colleagues or with management.
  10. 10Lack of recognitionNo appreciation of or feedback on the work.
  11. 11Lack of supportNo practical or emotional support from leadership.
  12. 12Insufficient trainingFew opportunities for development.
  13. 13Lack of meaning at workDisconnection from the company’s mission and purpose.

Great People benchmark

Where risk concentrates, sector by sector

The Great People benchmark covers 2,081 companies in eight sectors and was published in MIT Sloan Management Review Brasil in September 2026.

companies analyzed
2,081
workers at the companies analyzed
1,500,509
of sector and factor combinations in the action band
63%
mean organizational justice index, the highest of all factors
7.34
Factors in the action band, by sectorHow many of the 13 factors call for action in each sector, with every sector weighted equally.
  1. Healthcare12 of 13
  2. Transportation12 of 13
  3. Food and beverages12 of 13
  4. Manufacturing9 of 13
  5. Retail7 of 13
  6. Automotive7 of 13
  7. Financial6 of 13
  8. Services1 of 13

Weighting by number of companies, the share in the action band falls from 63% to 41%, partly because Services makes up 47% of the companies and has lower exposure. The overall average hides where the risk is.

Organizational justice cuts across every sector

It was the only factor in the action band in all eight sectors, with a mean index of 7.34, 22% above the second factor, lack of recognition (6.00). In Healthcare it reached 9.03, the highest value in the whole matrix.

Organizational justice · Healthcare9.03
Organizational justice7.34
Lack of recognition6.00
Psychosocial Risk IndexLikelihood × severity, from 1 to 25. From 5 up, the risk calls for documented action.
Trivial1–2
Tolerable3–4
Moderate5–9
Substantial10–15
Intolerable16–25

Violent or traumatic events was the only factor below the threshold in all eight sectors, which does not make them less serious when they happen.

The index holds severity at the moderate level, so differences mostly reflect perceived frequency. The 5 × 5 matrix is the study’s choice, not an official NR-1 matrix, and 1,500,509 is the population covered, not the number of responses. The benchmark guides priorities but does not replace an internal assessment.

Read the study on MIT Sloan Review (in Portuguese)

Bring NR-1 into management

The NR-01 Journey turns the psychosocial risk assessment into a risk matrix, priorities and an action plan for the PGR.

See the NR-01 JourneyBook a demo

Frequently asked questions

Questions about NR-1

What companies ask most about psychosocial risk.

  • The new NR-1 text, set by MTE Ordinance No. 1,419/2024, took effect on May 26, 2026. The first inspections follow the double-visit rule and start with guidance, without exempting companies from complying.

  • No. The regulation sets no single questionnaire, matrix or index. Validated instruments such as COPSOQ help, but a questionnaire on its own does not prove management. It has to lead to the risk inventory and the action plan.

  • A condition of how work is organized, managed or shared that can harm health, such as excessive workload, low autonomy or lack of recognition. It is a feature of the work, not a diagnosis of the person.

  • In the risk inventory and the action plan of the PGR, where it applies, alongside other occupational risks. Inspections tend to compare these records with the observed conditions and the Preliminary Ergonomic Assessment.

  • To see where you stand and decide where to look first. It does not replace the internal assessment by activity, role or exposure group, which is where management happens.

  • With the NR-01 Journey, which assesses risks with the GPTW Climate Survey or COPSOQ, builds the risk matrix and delivers recommendations for the PGR. Specialist classes on the priority factors can be added.

Start with an assessment of your company

Talk to a specialist on WhatsApp and see how the NR-01 Journey and Brain Capital work in practice.

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