Created in June 1978, by the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE), Regulatory Standard number 12, known as NR12,It is one of the main NRs in the segment. It aims to ensure that machines and equipment are, in fact, safe for worker use, requiring complete data on their life cycle – including information on transportation, installation, use, maintenance and disposal.
Therefore, companies that work with machinery and equipment must adapt to this standard under penalty of serious consequences.
Next, find out more about NR12, its objective, main prescriptions and understand the risks of not complying with it. Follow along.
What does NR12 establish?
NR12 has already undergone several updates since its first publication, following the modernization and development of the national industry. The most recent update was carried out through ordinance 326, May 14, 2018.
Objectives of NR12
Briefly, among the objectives of Regulatory Standard number 12, the following stand out:
- Worker safety.
- Improvements in working conditions in the operation of various types of machines and equipment.
- Guarantee of intrinsically safe machinery and equipment.
- Reduction in workplace accident rates in the country.
How do you know if your company and its machinery are in compliance?
For your company to act in compliance with the standard, it is necessary to adopt the measures required by it to guarantee the safety of its operation and that of its work team, including:
- Collective protection measures: these are measures related to the adoption of fixed physical protections in risk areas. It is important to highlight that each type of machine or equipment has certain collective protection.
- Individual protection measures: these are those that must be adopted individually during the workday, such as the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). These issues must be defined in the PPRA (Environmental Risk Prevention Program), provided for by NR9, and in the PCMSO (Occupational Health Medical Control Program), determined by NR7.
- Administrative measures: in order for improvements to be fully adopted, employees must be trained on them. Such training needs to be periodic and documented, including internal procedures and risks of the activity. Furthermore, the organization needs to adopt a preventive maintenance policy for its machinery, in order to reduce the likelihood of technical failures.
Furthermore, we can summarize the process of adapting machines and equipment to this standard in phases, namely:
- Phase 1: stage in which the Technical Diagnosis of Compliance with NR12 is carried out. The study of all items that need to be adequate to comply with the standard, including administrative measures.
- Phase 2: stage in which the notes made in the previous phase are implemented, including the adjustments and installations of the entire protection system required by NR12.
- Phase 3: when it is verified whether all items raised for the adaptation and issuance of the ART (Technical Responsibility Note) in compliance with NR12 have been finalized.
To be sure of correct implementation or adaptation, most companies choose to outsource this process. It is possible to obtain help from experts from risk assessment to machinery adaptations.
What happens if your industry does not comply with NR12?
It is important to keep in mind that the deadline for companies to adapt to NR12 has already passed. And the company that does not comply with the standard will be subject to all penalties provided for by law, and the legal risks arising from non-compliance with NR12 are diverse and quite serious. The option of delaying compliance by imagining that your company will not be visited by tax auditors is not advantageous.
Know that the Ministry of Labor can visit Brazilian companies at any time. During such a visit, the inspector will assess, among other issues, whether the requirements of NR12 are being met. Therefore, the risk of not adapting the company to this or other standards can be high. If in some cases there are only recommendatory notifications and indication of a new deadline for adaptation. In others, there is a ban and immediate issuance of fines, which can reach up to 50 times the reference value of the machinery or even, in extreme cases, the owner’s arrest.
In addition to the cost of the fine, the company’s image in the market may be damaged. As well as its credibility as a good employer, due to not offering a safe working environment to its employees.
An example recorded at Febratex 2018
To get an idea of the relevance of this topic and how adequacy is, in fact, being demanded, in the latest edition of Febratex (Brazilian Fair for the Textile Industry), held from August 21 to 24, 2018, in Blumenau/SC, one of the most important events in the country’s textile sector, there was an inspection that came from the Ministry of Labor, through which manufacturers and importers of machines that participated in the event were notified and fined – some even suffered equipment bans. In this action, of the 24 exhibitors in the segment at the event, 18 were fined.
On the occasion, Delta Equipamentos was inspected and congratulated for having its machines in compliance with the NR12 standard, being one of the only exhibitors approved in this regard. This reflects the company’s concern with the operation of its machines and its customers’ factory floor. That, by choosing Delta as a supplier, in addition to productivity, they gain in safety.
And in your company, do you have machinery that complies with NR12? Do you want to know more about Delta Equipamentos solutions? Leave your message in the comments or contact one of our consultants. To the next!
