When the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT) was introduced in 1943, Brazil was largely agrarian. Despite this, the original CLT excluded rural workers. This changed in 1963 with the Rural Worker Statute (Law No. 4.214), which was later reaffirmed by Law No. 5.889 in 1973, regulating rural labor relations. Article 13 of Law No. 5.889 required safety and hygiene standards in rural workplaces. The 1988 Federal Constitution further equalized the rights of rural and urban workers.
Despite these efforts, existing regulations were inadequate for the specific needs of rural work. In 2000, the Grito da Terra Brasil movement led by CONTAG demanded revisions to include safety measures for rural worker transport and the timber and sugarcane sectors due to high accident rates.
The Department of Labor Inspection initiated a tripartite process to draft new regulations. Concurrently, the ILO’s Convention 184 on Safety and Health in Agriculture provided further input. This culminated in the publication of NR-31 by MTE Ordinance No. 86 on March 3, 2005, covering safety in agriculture, livestock, forestry, and aquaculture. It established the National Permanent Rural Commission (CPNR) and regional commissions.
In 2008, MTE Ordinance No. 191 made NR-31 the main regulation for rural health and safety. Classified as a sectoral norm by SIT Ordinance No. 787 in 2018, NR-31 underwent two significant revisions. The first, in 2011 (Ordinance MTE No. 2.546), updated machinery safety standards to align with NR-12. The second, in 2018 (Ordinance SIT No. 1.086), introduced various updates and definitions to address sector-specific issues.
NR-31 Health and Safety in Agriculture, Livestock, Silviculture, Logging, and Aquaculture
(MTE Ordinance No. 342, of March 21, 2024)
Annex I – Access to machinery, equipment, and implements
Annex II – Auxiliary Charts and Figures