Understand what NR 6 is, the employer's responsibilities when issuing PPE, the worker's duties and how to streamline PPE control in your company.
By: Vitória Willemann
When collective protection measures (such as guardrails or exhaust systems) are not enough to neutralise the hazards of an activity, the worker's safety comes to depend on individual protection. That is the critical moment when NR 6 comes into play.
As one of the most demanded and inspected standards by Brazil's Ministry of Labour, it sets the rules for the supply, use and control of safety equipment. In this article, we explain the legal requirements of this standard and how to structure equipment management that is free of failures and labour liabilities.
Regulatory Standard 6 (NR-6) sets out the requirements for the approval, sale, supply and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE, known in Brazil as EPI).
For legal purposes, the standard defines PPE as any device or product for individual use intended to protect the worker against risks that threaten their safety and health (such as helmets, gloves, safety boots and safety harnesses). Ordinary uniforms, intended only for visual standardisation or protection against light dirt, do not fall into this category.
In addition, for a piece of equipment to be valid in the eyes of the government, it must hold a Certificate of Approval (CA, from the Portuguese Certificado de Aprovação). Understanding the validity rules of this document is just as important as physically handing over the equipment. So take a deeper look at our dedicated article on what a PPE CA is and why checking it matters.
NR 6 is categorical about the company's duties. The employer is required to provide workers with equipment suited to the risk, in perfect condition and working order, entirely free of charge.
The technical routine of the SESMT (the company's Specialised Service in Safety Engineering and Occupational Medicine) and the storeroom should focus on the following obligations:
Making sure this whole flow runs without bottlenecks in the storeroom is both a logistical and a legal challenge. To explore best practices for distribution, returns and stock control, visit our central content hub on PPE management.
Safety is a two-way street. The standard also imposes clear duties on the employee. The worker who receives the equipment has a legal obligation to use it only for its intended purpose, to take responsibility for its storage and care, and to immediately inform the employer of any change that makes the PPE unfit for use.
An employee's unjustified refusal to use the equipment provided constitutes misconduct, and the company may apply the appropriate disciplinary measures, ranging from warnings to dismissal for just cause.
The biggest point of vulnerability for companies in complying with NR 6 is not purchasing the equipment, but providing technical and legal proof of delivery. Mistakes in filling out paper records frequently lead to rulings against the company in labour lawsuits over unhealthy working conditions. If there is no employee signature confirming receipt of that specific CA on the correct date, the courts consider that the PPE was not provided.
To eliminate this risk for good, operations with a high level of safety maturity have abandoned physical records. Adopting management systems allows delivery to be validated by biometrics or electronic signature right at the storeroom. This centralises the employee's history, issues automatic alerts about certificate expiry and provides irrefutable proof of the company's compliance with NR 6 in any audit.
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