NR 6: Learn Everything About This Work Safety Standard!

Who should provide the EPI?

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NR 6 makes it very clear that the employer is obliged to provide personal protective equipment, regardless of what risk the employee is subject to while performing their function at work.

In addition, obviously, workers should not bear the costs of PPE's, being fully funded by the company, and therefore there can be no wage discounts, for example, on justification of the availability of PPE's.

In addition to providing personal protective equipment, considering the risks of each function, the company has a duty to guarantee perfect conditions for the use of PPE's at any time.

For this reason, it is important that each equipment undergoes an inspection to ensure its quality and proper functioning and, in the event of a defect, be removed for replacement.

At the same time, the employee must make use of the PPE throughout the exercise of their function and the employer must constantly inspect to avoid accidents and injuries that may be caused by the lack of use of the equipment.

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What are the types of PPE?

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As already mentioned, PPE's are required according to the function performed, and are specific to each of them. However, it is easy to notice that some PPE's are common to most construction activities, such as helmets, which are part of the PPE's that must be used in practically every work on a construction site.

However, to determine what PPE is necessary for an activity, it must be assessed what health risks the worker is subject to. Considering the risks, it is possible to establish which PPE's are necessary for each function. And so, we can divide them into categories with what they propose to avoid, namely:

• PPE's to protect against physical harm: the helmet is an example of PPE used to protect the employee against the possible occurrence of a physical impact, which may cause injuries or trauma to the head area as a result of the action of something in the work environment. Or we can also mention safety belts that prevent painters from suffering any type of fall, and are therefore a protective PPE against physical damage.
• PPE's to protect against chemical or biological damage: in these cases, PPE's are necessary to protect against chemical agents, such as toxic and biological substances such as viruses or bacteria. Thus, if the job requires direct contact with these agents, it is necessary to use gloves, masks and appropriate attire for such activities.
• EPI' s to protect against damage that may arise in the long term: here, we can mention the ear protectors that are EPI' s necessary to prevent long-term hearing damage resulting from the continuous exposure of employees to very loud sounds. Thus, the use of PPE improves quality of life in the long term.

Na civil construction, we have some EPI' s that are extremely necessary and are often not used. Among them, we can mention: safety helmets, protective glasses, safety gloves, safety belts, masks and respirators, hearing protectors, and appropriate footwear. NR 6 lists the risks of not using each PPE in civil construction.

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Training and Supervision of the Use of PPE's

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When we talk about PPE, we have to understand that it is not enough to provide the equipment to the employees, it is necessary to train them and supervise their use. In construction, especially when we go through construction, it is very common to see workers not using helmets, glasses and other essential equipment for the activity.

But, this can be solved with training and employer oversight.

Thus, it is the company's responsibility to provide training so that the team is aware of the importance of using EPI's and also to empower workers to understand the correct way to use them.

Generally, the construction companies or companies that manage the works have an occupational safety department, which has the role of advising employees on the use of PPI' s.

NR 6 also establishes that it is the employer's job to oversee the correct use of PPI' s by employees, that is, the company must promote means to monitor and charge its employees for the use of the equipment and, when necessary, apply appropriate penalties.

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Purchase, Maintenance, and Exchange of EPI's

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It should also be noted that the purchase, maintenance, and exchange of PPI' s are the responsibility of the employer. But, we have to consider some points on this issue.

First, the purchase of EPI's must be made in such a way that the equipment is qualified, that is, it is only allowed to provide employees with EPI's that contain the Certificate of Approval, which guarantees a seal of quality and safety.

Therefore, the company must pay the utmost attention to the suppliers of this equipment.

As for the maintenance and exchange of EPI' s, they are also the responsibility of the organization. However, it is worth noting that it is the employee's duty to value the proper use of the equipment and to alert the employer if it is no longer working as it should.

It is also important to understand that each PPE has a different lifespan according to its use and the function performed by the employee. Thus, while the company must provide EPI' s in good condition of use, employees also have their role in keeping them.
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Today, we brought NR 6, which establishes parameters for the use of PPI' s in any work environment, however, civil construction is the sector that causes the most accidents at work and where we see that the use of equipment is not taken so seriously. Therefore, NR 6 plays a fundamental role in ensuring safety on construction sites, but it is not enough to learn about it, it is necessary to apply it, right? If you want to know about other NR' s and NBR's, take a look at our blog, because the Blok believes that standards are essential to guarantee safe working environments and quality works!