The Brazilian Association of Companies of Components for Leather, Footwear and Artifacts (Assintecal), during its Human Resources group meeting with member companies, issued a warning about the psychosocial and organizational risks outlined in NR 1 (which addresses occupational risk management). The online meeting took place on the afternoon of the 22nd.

On the occasion, lawyer and HR/DP Advisory Coordinator Carla Martin highlighted the main points of NR 1, which will become mandatory in May 2026, and its impacts on companies and professionals. According to her, the PGR (risk management program) must include an analysis of psychosocial risks in the workplace. As psychosocial risks, she listed all types of harassment (moral and sexual), toxic organizational environments, work overload, excessive pressure, lack of clarity/tools for employees, and bullying, among others.

Noting that the number of work absences due to mental illness has increased by more than 200% in the last two years (reaching over 400,000 absences), Carla emphasized the importance of creating corporate programs that consider psychosocial risks, particularly combating harassment. In addition to creating programs, educational campaigns, and leadership training on the topic, the lawyer suggests intersectoral integration involving Human Resources, Health and Safety at Work, and Legal departments. HR’s mission is to select the right candidate for the position, train them, and handle their integration. The DP’s mission is to record employee complaints and monitor medical certificates in coordination with SST (Health and Safety), which in turn needs to provide data to align with payroll. The Legal department’s mission is to validate contracts and documents and monitor cases of absence due to psychosocial illnesses, appealing when necessary within a maximum period of 30 days.

Consequences

The lack of an adequate analysis of psychosocial risks has consequences for social security and taxation. According to Carla, these include an increase in absenteeism and occupational accident-related absences, impacts on the Accident Prevention Factor (FAP), and a rise in labor lawsuits, including regressive ones in cases of company negligence. “We also see impacts ranging from fines for violations to interdiction, causing significant losses for companies,” she stated.

In addition to the negative consequences of not assessing psychosocial risks, the lawyer listed the benefits of adopting preventive measures in this area. She stressed the importance of “transforming costs into investments” by demonstrating to company management the importance of the topic and its positive impact on productivity, organizational climate, and a decrease in absenteeism, among other factors.

The Group

With bimonthly meetings between specialists and representatives of companies associated with Assintecal, the Human Resources group was created to discuss relevant topics, sharing ideas and practices for continuous improvement in management. For more information, contact relacionamento@assintecal.org.br.