Record breaking work accidents in Brazil: a warning for prevention management

The recent numbers of accidents at work in Brazil reinforce a reality that requires permanent attention from companies, workers and occupational safety and health professionals. The report of the Jornal Hoje/G1 drew attention to the record number of accidents recorded in the country in the first half of the year and to the increasing relevance of road accidents.

A scenario that requires attention

Surveys released in 2026 point to 1,843,604 reports of occupational accidents between January 2023 and May 2026. Only between January and May 2026 were 222,139 occurrences recorded. These data should be interpreted according to the statistical base and the period considered, since different official systems can use different criteria and universes.

More than numbers, these occurrences represent remote workers, affected families, social security impacts and losses to organizations and to society. The scenario shows that prevention cannot be treated only as a documentary obligation or formal care to the Normas Regulamentadoras.

Work accidents rarely have a single cause

In the technical analysis of accidents, a combination of factors related to environmental conditions, equipment, procedures, work organization, maintenance, training, supervision and operational behavior is usually identified.

For this reason, attributing the event exclusively to the so-called “insecure act” of the worker can result in a superficial investigation. It is necessary to analyze the immediate causes and, especially, the basic and organizational causes that allowed the occurrence.

GRO and PGR need to work in practice

The NR-01 establishes the guidelines for the Occupational Risk Management – GRO, including the elaboration and implementation of the Risk Management Program – PGR. The goal is not simply to produce documents, but to recognize hazards, assess risks and establish effective prevention measures.

A risk inventory only has preventive value when it reflects actual working conditions and is associated with an effective action plan. Identify a risk and keep it only recorded in the document does not mean controlling it.

The prevention must observe the hierarchy of control measures, prioritizing the elimination of danger and the measures of collective protection, administrative and organization of work, complemented, when necessary, by Personal Protective Equipment - PPE.

Training can't be just a signature

Efficient training is not just about issuing certificates or collecting signatures on a presence list. The worker must understand the dangers of the activity, recognize critical situations, know the safe procedures and know how to act in the face of a condition that may put his integrity or that of third parties at risk.

Similarly, the organization must continuously monitor the practical application of procedures, correcting deviations and promoting recycling whenever process changes, accidents, incidents or other evidence demonstrate this need.

Research must produce prevention

Every occurrence must generate learning. A technically consistent investigation must verify, among other aspects: whether the danger had been identified; whether control measures existed; whether these measures were adequate and implemented; whether there was a work procedure; whether the worker was trained; whether machines and equipment presented safe conditions; and whether there were failures in planning, maintenance or supervision.

The main objective of the investigation should not be to find a culprit, but to identify the conditions that need to be modified to prevent the repetition of the event.

The challenge of road accidents

The report also draws attention to road accidents. This aspect broadens the discussion on prevention, as displacement can involve traffic, road conditions, vehicles, long journeys, schedules, fatigue and organization of activities.

Not all of these factors are under the direct control of the company. However, actions of awareness in traffic, defensive direction, planning of displacements, management of the journey and monitoring of the conditions of the vehicles used at work can integrate a broader policy of prevention.

Documentation and records are also part of prevention

Training, inspections, maintenance, risk analysis, operational procedures, delivery of PPE and monitoring of control measures must have reliable records.

These documents should not exist only for possible supervision or judicial process. When correctly used, they allow you to follow the evolution of preventive measures, identify recurring failures and demonstrate whether what was planned was actually executed.

Conclusions

The growth in workplace accident records demonstrates that there is still a long way to go in building safer work environments.

Prevention means taking action before it occurs. It means identifying hazards, assessing risks, eliminating or controlling exposures, training workers, overseeing procedures, maintaining machinery and equipment in proper conditions, and continuously reviewing the effectiveness of the measures implemented.

The published record should serve as an alert for the whole society. Safety and health at work cannot exist on paper alone.

Safety begins with the identification of the hazard, passes through the proper risk assessment and only becomes concrete when prevention measures are effectively implemented, monitored and improved.