NR-22, titled “Underground Works,” was originally issued June 8, 1978 to improve working conditions in the mining sector, reducing work-related diseases and accidents.
The first major revision began in 1997, following demands from the 2nd Congress of the National Confederation of Mineral Sector Workers and supported by the Brazilian Mining Institute (IBRAM). A Technical Group formed in 1996, including engineers and occupational physicians, based the revised text on European directives, various international regulations, and ILO Convention No. 176. The CTPP approved it and the revised NR-22 was published on December 15, 1999, effective April 21, 2000.
Classified as a sectoral standard on November 29, 2018, NR-22 focuses on mining activities. Key updates included defining employer and employee duties, introducing the right to refuse unsafe work, requiring a Risk Management Program (PGR), and establishing the Internal Committee for Accident Prevention in Mining (CIPAMIN). Wet drilling to prevent silicosis and NIOSH guidelines for dust exposure were also included.
In 2014, CPNM updated Annex I (Assessment of airborne mineral dust exposure) but the proposal was not approved until after the 2015 Mariana dam disaster. The CTPP finally approved the changes in 2018, published by MTb Ordinance No. 1.085 on December 18, 2018.
Following the 2019 Brumadinho dam disaster, the CTPP approved amendments to NR-22 to prohibit administrative and recreational facilities downstream of dams on April 11, 2019.
NR-22 Health and Safety in Mining
(MTE Ordinance No. 836, of May 27, 2024)
Annex I – Steel Cables, Chains, and Accessories
Annex II – Training and Qualification
Annex III – Minimum Requirements for the Use of Fixed Boom Hoisting Equipment