Psychosocial Risks: Is Your Company Prepared for This New Requirement?

Starting in May, employers must take action to combat practices that are harmful to employees' mental health.

Brazilian companies need to pay close attention to a new requirement in the field of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) starting on May 26. Employers will be required to implement measures to identify and mitigate psychosocial risks in the workplace, as established by Regulatory Standard No. 1 (NR-1).

This change reflects a growing awareness of the importance of mental health in the workplace and sets out guidelines to protect workers from factors that may affect their psychological well-being.

What happened?

In August of last year, the Ministry of Labor and Employment, through Instruction No. 1,419/2024, updated this regulation, establishing that occupational risk management must cover psychosocial risk factors. As a result, companies will need to include this type of assessment in their obligations, just as they must address risks of other natures, such as physical, chemical, and biological risks.

But what are psychosocial risks?

These are factors that can affect workers' mental health, causing stress, anxiety, burnout, depression, and other issues, such as pressure for results, long working hours, lack of support, mental workload, moral harassment, and interpersonal conflicts.

What are the companies' obligations?

Companies will be required to implement measures for managing psychosocial risks (just as is required for other risks) and to maintain related occupational health and safety documentation.

How can companies take action?

Some strategies can be adopted by companies, such as:

• Periodic assessment of psychosocial risks to identify conditions that may harm workers' mental health.
• Promotion of training and workshops for employees and leaders on psychosocial risks.
• Creation of mechanisms for psychological support and monitoring, either through internal services or partnerships.
• Establishment of a confidential reporting and complaint channel.
• Continuous monitoring to ensure that working conditions are adjusted according to needs and that potential problems are addressed.

Read more: Companies with Internal Health and Safety Commissions must implement measures to prevent and curb sexual harassment

What are the effects for companies?

The requirement represents an additional responsibility for employers, who need to prepare to comply with the new guidelines of NR-1. Failure to implement appropriate actions may result in penalties, as well as negative impacts on the company's reputation.

What measure to adopt?

One recommendation is to seek support from a specialized occupational health and safety (OHS) company to assist in the identification, assessment of psychosocial risks, and other necessary measures to meet the obligations, as well as to submit the information to eSocial.