RMP: Risk Management Program

With the proposed changes to the regulatory standards, two new terms have become familiar to employers: ORM (Occupational Risk Management) and RMP (Risk Management Program).

Neither of them introduced a new regulatory standard; both were incorporated into the text of Regulatory Standard No. 01. This was the first standard to be approved by the Ministry of Labor and the most important one regarding worker safety and health in the workplace and in the performance of their professional duties.

With the amendment to NR01 and the incorporation of the GRO, the company is now required to implement Occupational Risk Management. In short, this involves managing any occupational risks to which its employees may be exposed.

One of the most important initiatives expected by GRO turns out to be the implementation of the PGR. Occupational Risk Management is not a program per se, but rather a strategy designed to identify the potential risks to which employees are exposed within the company.

But what about the PGR? The PGR is, in fact, a program and should be established as part of the implementation of Occupational Risk Management.

In practical terms, the PGR is a program proposed by the federal government that aims to identify and analyze risks and propose strategies—or rather, solutions—to minimize them or eliminate workplace accidents and the development of occupational diseases.

But what are the differences between the PGR and the PPRA?

The objectives of the now-defunct Environmental Risk Prevention Program and the Risk Management Program are very similar: to identify and develop ways to eliminate risks that could endanger the life and safety of employees in their workplace or while performing their professional duties.

Although at first glance the two appear quite similar, a closer and more technical examination reveals that there are indeed differences between thePPRAand the PGR. ThePPRAfocuses on identifying the risk of accidents resulting from exposure to harmful agents, which may be physical, chemical, or biological.

The PGR, for its part, goes far beyond that, focusing on identifying potential risks to the safety of its employees with regard to exposure to harmful agents, which may be physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, or mechanical.

Precisely because it provides broader coverage than that offered bythe PPRA, many experts believe the PPRA is effectively a thing of the past. But it seems odd—or perhaps even misleading—to say this, since we can argue that it has been incorporated into the PGR, which absorbed and expanded it.

How can a company implement the PGR?

You must be wondering how to implement the PGR in your company, right? As far as documentation goes, you’ll only need two documents: the action plan and the risk inventory.

When you identify a risk to your employee, what steps need to be taken to eliminate or reduce that risk? That is what your action plan consists of. It is an important tool for guiding your actions and, above all, for measuring the results you are achieving.

The risk inventory, in turn, is a document in which the employer must list all of its employees’ activities, the work environment, a description of the hazards to which they are exposed, and a risk assessment.

Keep in mind that risks must be assessed in terms of the factors we discussed above: physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, and mechanical.

Who is authorized to develop the PGR and the PPRA?

There are guidelines regarding who within the company is authorized to prepare these documents. The person responsible for the risk inventory and action plan may be a professional selected by the manager—that is, appointed by the company—provided that the individual meets the professional qualifications and complies with all other regulatory requirements.

Although, viewed in this way, it may seem that any professional could potentially develop the action plan and the risk inventory, this is not actually the case. To comply with all regulatory standards and perform the expected professional duties, the professional must be a specialist in occupational safety.

It should also be noted that the documents that make up the PGR are lengthy and not static. In other words, they are documents focused on actions, strategies, implementation, and planning, and for that very reason, they should not be prepared by just any professional.

In addition to selecting a professional in the field of occupational safety, it is essential that this individual be qualified to perform all of these duties.

Key points of the PGR

As mentioned above, the documents that make up the Risk Management Program are quite extensive and must address a wide range of distinct issues; therefore, for the program to be effectively implemented within the company, it is essential that the professionals responsible for the RMP be properly trained.

This is because professionals are responsible for overseeing all processes that ensure the effective implementation of preventive measures regarding identified risks, which will provide safety for their employees by minimizing or eliminating those risks, as we have seen.

What is the significance of the PGR?

Like its predecessor, the Environmental Risk Prevention Program, the PGR is designed to address an issue that concerns every employer.

For any employer, keeping employees safe on a construction site or even in a factory lobby is no easy task. Worker safety and health within a company are demanding issues that can pose real challenges. And this is one of the goals—if not the most important one—of the PGR: to pave the way for promoting these two priorities.

From the employer’s perspective, we cannot focus solely on the economic factor—which is certainly significant—but the implementation of programs such as the PGR goes far beyond mere cost savings related to absences and treatment for potential occupational illnesses that employees may develop.

With programs like PGR, your employees will feel valued in their workplace and, above all, safe. This boosts their productivity and improves the quality of the work they produce. In addition to reducing costs associated with workplace accidents and occupational illnesses, we also see an increase in production and an improvement in quality.

If your company is on the list of those with environmental risks, with TRACEMED Occupational we implement the program and thus truly protect your employees.

For more information

NR 01 – Occupational Risk Management (ORM) and Risk Management Program (RMP)

Risk Management Program Replaces PPRA

Source:ESO System