NR 12: Learn Now How to Apply It to Your Works!

What is the purpose of NR 12?

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We can understand that NR 12 has as its main objective the promotion of worker safety when using machines and equipment during the execution of the service.

But it is also important to consider that it is part of a set of Regulatory Standards aimed at safety in the workplace, understood in a broad sense. Therefore, NR 12 also seeks to establish other, more comprehensive objectives, such as:

• Improvements in working conditions in machinery and equipment;
• Ensure the use of safe machinery and equipment;
• Worker safety.

Basically, we can summarize that NR 12 aims to guarantee worker safety. Just as machinery and equipment must be ensured in good working order, the procedures must also be adequate to preserve the health of the workers

Therefore, the Standard determines requirements from the manufacture of the machines and equipment to the procedures that must be performed when handled by employees during the execution of the services.

The parameters established by NR 12 refer to new and used equipment, and the Standard is divided into phases of use: transportation, cleaning, inspection, maintenance, assembly, installation, adjustment, operation, deactivation and disassembly of machines and equipment.

We can note, therefore, that the NR 12 is quite extensive and involves many details that make up all the safety of workers when using machines and equipment. Therefore, we consider this standard to be of significant relevance for civil construction. In the next few topics, we will explain the main issues addressed by her.

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What are the importance and advantages of complying with NR 12?

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The main importance of complying with NR 12 is related to ensuring the health, physical integrity, and life of workers. This is a great advantage for companies, since, by improving working conditions for employees, with the appropriate use of machinery and equipment, there is a clear gain in productivity since work becomes safer and more relaxed for employees.

Have you ever imagined yourself working in a place that does not feel safe to carry out your activities, putting your own life at risk? In the case of civil construction, it is the same situation. The work itself already requires a lot of physical effort and attention, but with good safety conditions, training and guidance regarding the use of the equipment, the team becomes safer and, thus, more productive, which is reflected in the final result of the work.

In addition, complying with the requirements determined by NR 12 makes it your undertaking be adequate in accordance with the laws, which avoids problems with inspection, heavy fines, and even labor lawsuits. The inspections are carried out by the Ministry of Labor and Employment and, during the inspection, the inspector assesses whether the requirements determined by NR 12 are being fully complied with. Therefore, keeping the service up to date avoids major inconvenience.

We can summarize the pluses and importance of complying with NR 12 in: staff well-being, lower labor losses or compensation, increased safety in the work environment and compliance with legal obligations.

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Who is required to follow NR 12?

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NR 12 applies to all companies that make use of machinery and equipment, that is, civil construction it fits because equipment is needed for the execution of a work. Only machines or equipment do not apply to the standard:

1. moved or propelled by human or animal force;
2. exhibited at museums, fairs and events, for historical purposes or that are considered as antiques and are no longer used for productive purposes, provided that measures are adopted to guarantee the preservation of the physical integrity of visitors and exhibitors;
3. classified as household appliances.

The standard also states that it is the employer's responsibility to ensure a safe work environment for handling equipment. In this sense, employees also have their duties, and it is up to them to:

1. comply with all guidelines regarding safe operating, feeding, supplying, cleaning, maintenance, inspection, transportation, deactivation, disassembly, and disposal of machinery and equipment;
2. not to make any type of alteration in the mechanical protections or safety devices of machines and equipment, in a way that could endanger your health and physical integrity or that of third parties;
3. Notify your immediate superior if a protection or safety device has been removed, damaged, or lost its function;
4. participate in the training provided by the employer to meet the demands/requirements described in this Standard;
5. collaborate with the employer in implementing the provisions contained in this Standard.

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What are the protection measures determined by NR 12?

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The Regulatory Standard prioritizes its protective measures into the following three categories:

• collective protection measures: these measures refer to fixed protections in hazardous areas, such as barriers made by equipment belts or pulleys. Each machine or operating system requires a type of collective protection, which must be analyzed beforehand.

Here, we can give the example that NR 12 itself defines, when mentioning the possibility of someone staying in the danger zone, and in this case, a system must be implanted to prevent the operation of the machine while there are people in that area, as is the case of presence sensors.

• administrative or work organization measures: these are those related to employee training, preventive equipment maintenance schedule, minimum distance from machinery, adequate storage of tools and utensils in their own and exclusive place for this purpose, among others.
• personal protection measures: here, the PPE's come in, predicting the time of exposure to risk factors. This whole issue is defined by the PPRA (Environmental Risk Prevention Program), provided for by NR 9 and PCMSO (Occupational Health Medical Program), determined by NR 7. The PPRA and PCMSO must be reinstated in companies because they assess risks in the profession. In this way, they guide, for example, which PPE are indispensable for the operations carried out in a given organization.

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Main Topics of NR 12:

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Here, we are going to talk about the main topics that NR 12 addresses, namely:

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Planning:

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To minimize the risks that machinery or equipment may cause to the health of workers, it is important to make a floor plan, where it is possible to locate where they are located. This makes surveillance easier and also helps with rescue in the event of an accident. Also, in the floor plan, information on material flow, operators' position, and productivity can be included.

Also, as part of the planning, it is important to carry out a risk analysis, that is, the mapping of the risks inherent to each machine. Once you map them, you can analyze how to reduce them.

By carrying out the risk analysis, with the identification of existing risks and actions to reduce them, it is possible to draw a diagnosis, indicating whether the criteria of NR 12 are being met. It is nothing more than a checklist with each item of the standard relating to equipment.

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Instruction Manual:

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All machines and equipment must have a manual, issued by the manufacturer, containing the safety information for each phase of the machine's operation. In addition to the CNPJ, company name and address of the manufacturer, the manual must:

• be written in Brazilian Portuguese, legible and with explanatory illustrations;
• be objective, clear, with language that is easily understood and unambiguous;
• highlight safety warnings;
• be available to all users on the desktop.

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Machine Inventory:

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The inventory is important to provide an overview of all existing machines on the construction site to classify and prioritize actions to reduce risks, and must always be updated. According to the standard, it must contain “identification by type, capacity, security systems and location with a schematic representation, prepared by a qualified or legally qualified professional”.

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Trainings:

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Employee trainings need to be conducted and recorded periodically. It's no use all the machinery being identified and suitable for use if the workers who are going to use it don't receive efficient training. Therefore, NR 12 requires the production of training material in a language that is easy for workers to understand and the professional qualified to oversee the training must be registered with the competent class council. New training must also be carried out if there are changes to the facilities or operations of the machines.

You can be sure that training failure represents a significant proportion of work accidents in civil construction. So, training is extremely important!

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What are the consequences of your non-compliance?

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Failure to comply with NR 12 can cause several problems for both employees and employers. For employees, failing to follow the standard's requirements can result in serious accidents that can lead to death. Now, for employers, we can list the following consequences:

• increased risks of accidents at work;
• insecurity among employees;
• detriment to the image of the business in the market;
• payment of fines and other penalties;
• compensation in labor lawsuits (which may even harm the financial health of the business).

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Conclusion

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Now that you understand the importance of NR 12 for civil construction, whose main objective is to prevent accidents at work with machinery and equipment and also to provide good conditions for construction workers, there are no more excuses not to apply it. Like the other NR's, NR 12 must be complied with in order to preserve the safety and health of all who work on the construction site. It may not seem as simple as you imagined, but preserving the health of employees will certainly also guarantee good returns for your ventures!

And remember to count on Blok for any challenge!