15. Environmental Risk Prevention Programs

Página 71

Occupational Safety is a field of study that aims to protect workers in the work environment, aiming to minimize accidents, illnesses and environmental impacts. One of the key elements in this field is the Prevention of Environmental Risks (PPRA), which is a legally mandatory program for all companies that have employees under the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT) regime.

The PPRA is regulated by Regulatory Norm No. 9 (NR 9), of the Ministry of Labor and Employment, which establishes that all employers and institutions that hire workers as employees must design and implement the program. The main objective of the PPRA is to prevent the occurrence of environmental risks in the workplace.

Environmental risks are classified as physical, chemical and biological. Physical risks are generated by machines and physical conditions present in the workplace that can cause damage to the worker's health, such as noise, vibration, radiation, heat and cold. Chemical hazards are substances that can come into contact with the worker, such as dust, fumes, gases, vapors and chemicals in general. Biological risks, on the other hand, are generated by organisms that can cause damage to the health of the worker, such as bacteria, fungi, bacilli, parasites, among others.

The PPRA must be developed in the workplace with the participation of workers, with the help of a professional specialized in work safety. The program must include a series of actions that must be adopted by the company to guarantee the health and integrity of workers. These actions include the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and consequent control of the occurrence of environmental risks.

In the anticipation phase, environmental risks are identified before they become a problem, allowing preventive measures to be taken to prevent them from occurring. Recognition involves identifying hazards that already exist in the workplace, where they come from, how workers are exposed to them, and the harm they can cause to health.

Assessing environmental risks involves determining the severity of identified risks and the likelihood that they will occur. This phase is crucial to determine which control measures should be implemented. The control of environmental risks involves the implementation of measures that eliminate or reduce the exposure of workers to identified risks.

In addition, the PPRA must be integrated with other occupational health and safety practices, such as the Occupational Health Medical Control Program (PCMSO), the Internal Commission for Accident Prevention (CIPA), among others. The program should be reviewed at least once a year or whenever there is a significant change in working conditions that may affect workers' exposure to environmental hazards.

In summary, the PPRA is an essential tool to ensure the safety and health of workers in the workplace. It allows environmental risks to be identified, evaluated and controlled, contributing to the prevention of accidents and work-related illnesses.

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