Is a questionnaire mandatory under NR-1?

No. According to the Ministry of Labor’s Q&A, NR-1 does not require questionnaires. The company chooses assessment tools and techniques suited to the risk.

Does the Ministry of Labor recommend a questionnaire?

No. NR-1 sets no single official tool, method or instrument, and the Ministry’s guide states that it neither defines nor suggests a specific method.

Is applying a questionnaire enough to comply with NR-1?

No. The Ministry of Labor states that applying a questionnaire on its own is not enough to show that risks are managed. The results have to lead to the risk inventory and the action plan.

Yes. COPSOQ is free to use under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence. No fee can be charged for the questionnaire itself, but administration, analysis and consulting can be. Modified versions cannot be distributed under the COPSOQ name.

Is there a Brazilian version of COPSOQ?

Yes, of COPSOQ II. The short version, with 40 questions, was validated in Brazil and published in Revista de Saúde Pública in 2021. A middle version based on the Spanish COPSOQ-ISTAS21 was assessed in a study published in the journal Work in 2019. As of October 2026, we found no journal-published validation of COPSOQ III.

Is there an international standard on psychosocial risk?

Yes. ISO 45003:2021 gives guidelines for managing psychosocial risk within an occupational health and safety management system based on ISO 45001. It guides practice but does not replace NR-1.

NR-1 guide

Psychosocial risk questionnaires

NR-1 does not require a questionnaire or name an official instrument. When a company uses one, it is part of the risk assessment and, on its own, does not prove that risks are managed.

See the instruments See the NR-01 Journey

Updated October 2026

What the Ministry of Labor says about questionnaires

Not mandatoryNR-1 does not require questionnaires to assess psychosocial risk.Ministry of Labor Q&A, question 8
No official instrumentThe rule sets no single tool, method or instrument. The company chooses what suits the risk being assessed.Ministry of Labor, question 9, and NR-1, item 1.5.4.4.2.1
Not enough on its ownApplying a questionnaire on its own does not amount to managing the risks.Ministry of Labor Q&A, question 10

Instruments

Questionnaires used in Brazil

The ones most often cited for psychosocial risk, what each measures and where its Brazilian validation stands.

COPSOQ

Origin: The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, created in 2000 by T. S. Kristensen and V. Borg at Denmark’s National Institute of Occupational Health, now NRCWE. It is now coordinated by the international COPSOQ network.
Structure: COPSOQ II has 127 items in the long version, 87 in the middle and 40 in the short. COPSOQ III, from 2019, has 148 items in the long version and 60 in the middle.
In Brazil: COPSOQ II has a short version validated in Brazil, with 40 questions (Revista de Saúde Pública, 2021). A middle version based on the Spanish COPSOQ-ISTAS21, with 70 items, was assessed in southern Brazil (Work, 2019). COPSOQ III was studied in a 2020 doctoral thesis, but as of October 2026 we found no journal-published validation.

HSE Indicator Tool

Origin: A tool from the Health and Safety Executive, Great Britain’s workplace health and safety regulator, tied to its Management Standards for work-related stress.
Structure: 35 questions covering six standards: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. Support is scored on two scales, managers and peers.
In Brazil: A Brazilian adaptation exists (Lucca et al., Unicamp, 2013) and is used in published studies, but we found no journal-published psychometric validation of it.

Demand-control (JCQ and JSS)

Origin: The Job Content Questionnaire and the Job Stress Scale build on Robert Karasek’s demand-control model.
Structure: They measure psychological demands, control over the work and social support. The Portuguese JCQ has 49 items.
In Brazil: The short Job Stress Scale was adapted into Portuguese (Revista de Saúde Pública, 2004). The Portuguese JCQ was assessed by Araújo and Karasek in 2008.

Effort-reward imbalance (ERI)

Origin: The Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire builds on Johannes Siegrist’s effort-reward imbalance model.
Structure: It compares the effort the work demands with the rewards received, such as pay, recognition and job security, and measures overcommitment.
In Brazil: Portuguese versions were assessed in studies published in Cadernos de Saúde Pública (2008) and Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública (2010).

PROART

Origin: The Protocol for the Assessment of Psychosocial Risks at Work, developed in Brazil in a doctoral thesis at the University of Brasília (2013).
Structure: A Brazilian instrument dedicated to psychosocial risk at work, with four scales. The revised version has 91 items (Facas, 2021).
In Brazil: Its validity evidence was published in a 2015 book chapter. We found no journal-published validation.

How to choose

What matters when choosing an instrument

NR-1 leaves the choice to the company but sets what the assessment has to deliver.

Suited to the risk

The tool must suit the risk or circumstance being assessed.

NR-1, item 1.5.4.4.2.1

Scientific validation

The GRO/PGR Manual advises that any instrument a company uses should be scientifically validated.

Ministry of Labor, GRO/PGR Manual, item 17.1.1

Linked to the inventory

Results feed the risk inventory and the action plan, with documented severity and likelihood criteria.

NR-1, item 1.5.7.3.1, and Ministry of Labor Q&A, question 10

Medical exams do not replace it

Periodic medical exams do not replace hazard identification and risk assessment.

Ministry of Labor Q&A, question 6

Great People NR-1 consulting

The NR-01 Journey assesses psychosocial risk with instruments such as the short Brazilian version of COPSOQ and delivers the inventory, the risk matrix and the action plan for the PGR.

See the NR-01 Journey Book a demo

Frequently asked questions

Questions about questionnaires

What companies ask before choosing an instrument.

Ask a question

No. According to the Ministry of Labor’s Q&A, NR-1 does not require questionnaires. The company chooses assessment tools and techniques suited to the risk.
No. NR-1 sets no single official tool, method or instrument, and the Ministry’s guide states that it neither defines nor suggests a specific method.
No. The Ministry of Labor states that applying a questionnaire on its own is not enough to show that risks are managed. The results have to lead to the risk inventory and the action plan.
Yes. COPSOQ is free to use under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence. No fee can be charged for the questionnaire itself, but administration, analysis and consulting can be. Modified versions cannot be distributed under the COPSOQ name.
Yes, of COPSOQ II. The short version, with 40 questions, was validated in Brazil and published in Revista de Saúde Pública in 2021. A middle version based on the Spanish COPSOQ-ISTAS21 was assessed in a study published in the journal Work in 2019. As of October 2026, we found no journal-published validation of COPSOQ III.
Yes. ISO 45003:2021 gives guidelines for managing psychosocial risk within an occupational health and safety management system based on ISO 45001. It guides practice but does not replace NR-1.

Sources

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