NR-12 is Brazil's mandatory machinery safety regulation — the equivalent of ISO 12100 and OSHA machine guarding standards. Applies to all industrial equipment: risk analysis, safety devices, physical guarding, interlocks, emergency stops, and compliance documentation. CREA-licensed engineer with ART-backed reports.
NR-12 is one of Brazil's most enforced regulations. MTE inspectors routinely check machinery compliance and non-conformity leads to immediate equipment embargo.
NR-12 is one of Brazil's most enforced regulations. MTE inspectors (Auditores Fiscais do Trabalho) routinely check machine safety during workplace inspections. Non-compliance results in immediate equipment embargo (interdição) — the machine is shut down on the spot and cannot operate until all deficiencies are corrected. Fines range from R$2,000 to R$200,000+ per machine.
NR-12 applies to every machine and piece of powered equipment in any workplace in Brazil — from a single drill press in a small shop to hundreds of CNC machines in a large factory. There are no exemptions based on company size, industry, or equipment age.
We perform NR-12 risk analysis and compliance assessment for all types of industrial machinery and equipment across every sector.
CNC machining centers, conventional and CNC lathes, milling machines, grinding machines, drilling machines. Guard interlocks, chuck guarding, chip management, tool change safety.
Mechanical presses, hydraulic presses, pneumatic presses, stamping machines, shearing machines. Light curtains, two-hand controls, die safety blocks, stroke limiting devices.
Form-fill-seal, wrapping, labeling, cartoning, palletizing, and case packing machines. Nip point guarding, infeed protection, safety interlocked access doors, conveyor interfaces.
Belt conveyors, roller conveyors, chain conveyors, screw conveyors, bucket elevators, transfer systems. Nip point guards, emergency pull cords, start-up warnings, tail/head pulley guards.
Table saws, band saws, planers, jointers, routers, CNC routers, edge banders, panel saws. Blade guarding, anti-kickback devices, dust extraction, riving knives, push stick protocols.
Industrial mixers, slicers, grinders, filling machines, ovens, fryers, pasteurizers, homogenizers. Hygienic guarding design, interlocked access covers, trapped key systems, washdown-rated safety devices.
Injection molding machines, printing presses, textile machinery, welding robots, automated assembly lines, packaging lines, agricultural equipment, construction machinery, lifting equipment, and any other powered equipment subject to NR-12.
| Brazilian Standard | Purpose | International Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| NR-12 | General principles — machinery safety risk assessment | ISO 12100 |
| NR-12 (electrical) | Electrical safety of machinery | EN 60204-1 · NFPA 79 |
| NR-12 (guards) | Fixed and movable guards for machinery | ISO 14120 |
| NR-12 (interlocks) | Interlocking devices associated with guards | ISO 14119 |
| NR-12 (emergency stop) | Emergency stop function — principles for design | ISO 13850 |
| NR-12 (risk assessment) | Risk assessment methodology and process | ISO 12100 + ISO/TR 14121-2 |
NR-12 (Norma Regulamentadora 12) is Brazil's mandatory regulation for machinery and equipment safety, issued by the Ministry of Labor (MTE). It establishes minimum requirements for the prevention of workplace accidents involving machines throughout their entire lifecycle — design, manufacture, import, installation, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning. Every company operating in Brazil that uses industrial machinery must comply, regardless of industry, company size, or nationality. This includes manufacturing, food processing, packaging, metalworking, woodworking, agriculture, construction, and any workplace with powered machinery.
NR-12 is the Brazilian equivalent of ISO 12100 (Safety of machinery — General principles for design) and OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart O (Machinery and Machine Guarding). While NR-12 shares the same risk-based approach as ISO 12100, it goes further in some areas: NR-12 requires a formal risk analysis (apreciação de riscos) for every machine, mandates specific safety distances, prescribes detailed documentation requirements, and imposes strict timelines for retrofitting existing equipment. Companies familiar with ISO 12100, the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, or OSHA machine guarding requirements will find NR-12 conceptually similar but with additional Brazilian-specific obligations.
Non-compliance with NR-12 carries severe consequences. MTE labor inspectors can impose immediate equipment embargo (interdição) — the machine is shut down on the spot and cannot be operated until compliance is achieved. Administrative fines range from R$2,000 to R$200,000+ per machine depending on severity and risk level. In case of a workplace accident involving a non-compliant machine, the company and its directors face criminal prosecution, and the lack of NR-12 documentation is treated as evidence of negligence. NR-12 is consistently one of the most enforced regulations by MTE inspectors nationwide.
A comprehensive NR-12 assessment includes: risk analysis (apreciação de riscos) per ISO 12100 methodology for each machine, evaluation of safety devices (light curtains, safety relays, interlocks, emergency stops), physical guarding assessment (fixed and movable guards, safety distances per ABNT NBR ISO 13855), electrical safety analysis per NR-10, control system reliability assessment (performance level — PLr), ergonomic evaluation per NR-17, review of existing documentation, a detailed compliance gap report with photographic evidence, and recommended corrective actions with priority classification. All documented in an ART-backed technical report.
Yes. We deliver bilingual documentation — the official NR-12 risk analysis report and ART in Portuguese (as required by Brazilian authorities) plus a complete English translation for your corporate records, headquarters reporting, and global EHS teams. All communication during the assessment process is conducted in English, and we provide clear explanations of Brazilian-specific requirements that may differ from ISO or OSHA standards your team is familiar with.