On August 27, 2024, the Ministry of Labor and Employment published Ordinance No. 1,419/2024, amending Chapter 1.5 of Regulatory Standard No. 1 (NR-1) to expressly include psychosocial risk factors related to work in Occupational Risk Management (GRO). The new provisions came into effect on May 26, 2026.
Mental health in the workplace was already a growing concern before the regulatory change. Data from the Ministry of Labor itself indicate that, in 2022, anxiety disorders (ICD F41), depressive episodes (ICD F32), and reactions to severe stress (ICD F43) together constituted the second largest group of causes of occupational illness in Brazil, accounting for 8.35% of total absences. In 2022, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 12 billion workdays are lost annually worldwide due to depression and anxiety, costing the global economy approximately one trillion dollars.
The regulatory change promoted three structural changes in NR-1. The first is the explicit inclusion of psychosocial factors in the GRO (Occupational Risk Management), meaning all organizations must now identify, assess, and control hazards arising from problems in the design, organization, and management of work (such as overload, harassment, low autonomy, lack of role clarity, and inadequate change management) that may generate stress, burnout, depression, or Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMDs).
The second is the mandatory integration between NR-1 and NR-17; the risk management process must consider the working conditions foreseen in NR-17 (ergonomics), including the preliminary ergonomic assessment, mandatory for all companies, even those exempt from the PGR (Risk Management Program). The third is the new definition of probability for ergonomic and psychosocial factors; the assessment must consider the demands of the work activity and the effectiveness of the prevention measures already implemented.
For the purposes of application in the GRO (Occupational Risk Management), psychosocial risk factors related to work are hazards arising from failures in the design, organization, or management of work. The expression “related to work” is legally binding; aspects of the worker’s personal life unrelated to the work environment are not included in the scope of the GRO. The MTE (Ministry of Labor and Employment) Guide and NBR ISO 45003:2021 provide an illustrative list of recognized hazards.
The management of these factors follows the same three macro-processes as the GRO (Occupational Risk Management), namely, hazard identification, risk assessment and control, and action plan.
From a labor and social security perspective, the regulatory change aggravates companies’ exposure to liabilities arising from occupational diseases of a mental nature. Legal certainty requires intentional, documented, and integrated management between the areas of Occupational Safety, Human Resources, and Legal.
In practice, companies should now map the psychosocial hazards present in their work environments, define which assessment strategy is most appropriate to their size and sector, involve leaders and workers in the process, and formalize prevention measures in the PGR (Occupational Risk Management Program) with a defined schedule and responsible parties. Beyond the legal obligation, proactive management of psychosocial risks positively impacts production, organizational climate, talent retention, and the company’s institutional reputation.
Access to the full text of the Ordinance:
https://www.gov.br/trabalho-e-emprego/pt-br/acesso-a-informacao/participacao-social/conselhos-e-orgaos-colegiados/comissao-tripartite-partitaria-permanente/normas-regulamentadora/normas-regulamentadoras-vigentes/NR01atualizada2024II.pdf
Access to the MTE Manual:
https://www.gov.br/trabalho-e-emprego/pt-br/assuntos/inspecao-do-trabalho/manuais-e-publicacoes/2026/manual_gro_pgr_da_nr_1.pdf/view
Access to the Information Guide on Psychosocial Risk Factors Related to Work:
https://cdn.protecao.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Guia-Fatores-de-Riscos-Psicossociais-
MTE.pdf
Access to ISO 45003:2021:
https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso:45003:ed-1:v1:en
Pedro Oliveira Moura Santos | pedro.santos@nascimentomourao.adv.br
Partner in the Strategic Labor Litigation area, specialist in Labor Law and Procedure.
Aline Rossi | aline@nascimentomourao.adv.br
Coordinating Partner in the Strategic Litigation area, specialist in Civil Procedure Law and Contracts.
