Discrimination, stress at work and moral or sexual harassment, among others, are now considered causes of occupational diseases by the ministry of health

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

The Ministry of Health has updated the list of work-related diseases, having included 165 new pathologies. Among them, diseases that, according to Ordinance GM/MS # 1999/2023 (access here), are triggered by psychosocial factors related to discrimination, violence, moral/sexual harassment, organizational management, the content of the work tasks and the conditions of the corporate environment, among others.

Some of the pathologies listed are:

  • Mental and behavioral disorder due to the use of: alcohol; opiates; cannabinoids; sedatives and hypnotics; cocaine; hallucinogens; smoke; multiple drugs and the use of other psychoactive substances; other stimulants, including caffeine;
  • Delirium;
  • Depression;
  • Anxiety;
  • Suicide attempt;
  • Exhaustion (burnout).

For an occupational disease to be classified as such, Social Security needs to establish the technical link (NTEP) between the work factors and the pathology. For now, there is no change insocial security legislation to follow the Ministry of Health’s ordinance. Therefore, there is still no automatic link between the disease and the granting of an accident social security aid.

*Esta información fue proporcionada por Chiode Minicucci Advogados – Brasil