Skip to content

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. The STF suspends finesIn ADPF 1316, Brazil’s Supreme Court suspended sanctions based on five NR-1 items, as far as psychosocial risk is concerned. The full court confirmed it in August.
  4. Suspension extendedThe rapporteur extended the suspension for another 90 days while conciliation continues. The duty to manage the risks remains.

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

How to manage psychosocial risk under NR-1

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.

Go deeper

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)

NR-1 consulting from Great People

The NR-01 Journey maps psychosocial risks and delivers the risk inventory, the risk matrix and the 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. Fines based on the NR-1 psychosocial-risk items are suspended by Brazil’s Supreme Court (STF), but the duty to manage these risks remains.

  • No. In ADPF 1316, the STF suspended only fines and other sanctions based on five NR-1 items, as far as psychosocial risk is concerned. The full court confirmed the June 25, 2026 decision in August, and the rapporteur extended it for another 90 days on September 24. The suspension is not limited to the schools that brought the case and covers every employer subject to NR-1. The rule remains the standard to follow, inspections continue, and sanctions based on other rules that protect mental health are still possible.

  • In general, NR-1 and NR-17 do not require a specific profession, not even psychology. The organization appoints a person or team with adequate technical knowledge, except where sector rules say otherwise, such as NR-18 for construction.

  • Yes, every organization with employees under Brazil’s labor code (CLT). Individual microentrepreneurs and some micro and small companies in risk grades 1 and 2 can be exempt from preparing a PGR, but the Preliminary Ergonomic Assessment, which includes psychosocial factors, remains mandatory.

  • 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 COPSOQ, the GPTW Climate Survey or another Likert survey the company has already run, builds the risk matrix and delivers recommendations and an action plan for the PGR, with follow-up over the months. 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.

Book a demo

Reply within 1 business day · Mon to Fri, 9 am to 6 pm

Privacy and data protection: privacidade@gpmh.com.br