Under the title “Health and Safety in Confined Spaces,” NR-33 began its development process in February 2002. Two NBRs on this topic had been published at this time and were used, along with other international standards, as a technical reference for the preparation of the base text of NR-33. The publication of the standard took a long time. It was only in December 2006, through ordinance no. 202, that NR-33 came into force. Since then, it has undergone only two amendments, one in 2012 and another in 2019. In 2018, it was classified as a special standard by ordinance 787 and this is what we will talk about today in another episode of our Webseries #SextouComNR. Objectives of the standard NR-33 is a standard for confined work, which establishes preventive measures, administrative measures, personnel measures, training and measures for emergency situations, and is the first Regulatory Standard to provide for the assessment of psychosocial risk factors in its wording. The standard aims to establish the minimum requirements for identifying confined spaces and the recognition, assessment, monitoring and control of existing risks, in order to guarantee the safety and health of workers working in these spaces. Let us look at the definition that NR provides for confined space: “it is any area or environment not designed for continuous human occupation, which has limited means of entry and exit, whose existing ventilation is insufficient to remove contaminants or where there may be a deficiency or enrichment of oxygen”. Therefore, NR itself presents three characteristics that must exist simultaneously for a space to be characterized as confined, and from then on follow the guidelines of its text. Technical, administrative and personal measures The standard presents, in its item 33.3.2, some technical measures that must be adopted, such as, for example, prohibiting ventilation with pure oxygen, testing measuring equipment before each assessment, evaluating the atmosphere in confined spaces before workers enter, among several others. In addition to these technical measures, the standard also presents administrative measures that must be adopted for the sake of worker safety. For example, implementing procedures for work in confined spaces; keeping an updated record of all confined spaces, including those that have been deactivated, and their respective risks, in addition to several other measures that make these items (technical and administrative measures) essential within what the standard proposes to guide. Training In general, NR-33 is a relatively short standard, with only 13 pages. Much of its content refers to training for work in confined spaces, and its guidelines are set out in item 33.3.5, but we have important considerations to make: All authorized workers, watchmen and entry supervisors must receive initial training (we will talk about this in a moment). In addition, they must receive periodic training (the so-called “refresher training”) every 12 months, with a minimum workload of eight hours; The initial training of authorized workers and watchmen must have a minimum workload of sixteen hours; The initial training of entry supervisors must have a minimum workload of forty hours. Instructors assigned to any type of training must be “proficient” in the subject. The famous “Proficiency” Here we take a quick break to analyze the term “proficiency”, as it generates many doubts when it appears in the standards. In the case of NR-33, it is already defined in the glossary, and says the following: “competence, aptitude, qualification and ability combined with experience”. In other words, proficiency is nothing more than theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge. Only one of the two does not qualify the instructor to provide training; he or she must have both theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge! Although it is not a very long standard, NR-33 is one of the most consulted in our legislation, given the number of establishments that have environments considered confined. Therefore, it is essential to follow its guidelines in places that require it. If you have any questions related to NR-33, leave them in the comments and we will try to help you. In the meantime, I will organize myself here and prepare for the next episode of our web series #SextouComNR. A big hug to everyone and SPEAK! To consume our content, visit our website http://www.sstonline.com.br/ Follow us on social media: Instagram: / sstonline_ Facebook: / sstonline.co. . LinkedIn: / 6503. . #NR33 #SextoucomNR #ConfinedSpaces #SST #NR