NR-30 was first published by Ordinance SIT No. 34 on December 4, 2002, to address a significant gap in Brazil’s occupational health and safety legislation for waterway work.
NR-30, classified as a Sectoral Standard by SIT Ordinance No. 787 on November 28, 2018, is based on ILO Convention 147 (1976) on Minimum Standards for Merchant Ships, ratified by Brazil in 1991.
Initially intended for maritime work, NR-30’s scope was expanded to include all waterway work as defined by Law No. 9.537 (LESTA) and its regulatory decree, covering six types of workers: maritime, fishing, fluvial, diving, piloting, and docking workers. This expansion led to the creation of annexes covering professional activities at sea and inland waters.
A Tripartite Working Group (GTT) was formed to draft the standard, including representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Brazilian Navy to avoid regulatory conflicts. After numerous meetings, the proposed standard was approved at the 32nd Ordinary Meeting of the Permanent Tripartite Commission (CTPP) on December 4, 2002, and published as NR-30 by Ordinance SIT No. 34/2002.
Key updates to NR-30 were made by MTE Ordinance No. 100 on January 17, 2013, and MTE Ordinance No. 2.062 on December 30, 2014, both approved by the CTPP.
The last major change occurred with MTb Ordinance No. 1.186 on December 20, 2018, which approved NR-37 (Health and Safety on Oil Platforms) and revoked Annex II of NR-30. The modernization of NR-30 was completed according to the regulatory agenda defined during the 97th CTPP Meeting on June 4-5, 2019, with the new text effective from January 3, 2022.
NR-30 – Health and Safety in Waterways
(MTP Ordinance No. 4,219, December 20, 2022)