Comparison of OHS Management and Brazilian Regulatory Standards

This paper carries out a comparative study between the Brazilian Occupational Health and Safety Regulatory Standards, the NR’S, and the occupational health and safety management system models defined in the OHSAS18001 and ILO/OSH2001 specifications, taking the civil construction sector as a reference. Aspects relating to senior management commitment, prevention of accidents at work and occupational illnesses, risk identification, worker involvement, communication, performance measurement, training and awareness, and continuous improvement, auditing and critical analysis by management are analyzed. To deepen the comparative analysis, a case study is carried out on a construction company that has implemented an OHSAS18001-based OHSMS, Tecnum Construtora, certified by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance. Tecnum was the first company in the construction industry to obtain OHSAS 18001 certification in the world and the first in Brazil, among other economic activities. The comparative analysis of the NR’s with OHSAS18001 and ILO/OSH2001 points to the need for a revision of the NR’s model.