Hazard premium: how it works and who is entitled

O hazard pay It is a labor benefit granted to workers but which is not always fully understood.

It is intended for workers who work in activities and environments that are considered dangerous, with the aim of guaranteeing a salary increase.

To better understand how it works hazard pay, find out more below!

Danger pay: what is it?

O hazard pay It is characterized as a benefit that is provided for in the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT) in Brazil.

This benefit is intended to compensate workers who carry out their activities in conditions considered dangerous to their physical integrity or health.

In this way, the additional amount adds an extra value to the professional's salary, which is calculated based on their base salary.

Furthermore, it also aims to compensate for the risks to which these workers are exposed while carrying out their work duties.

O hazard pay It is calculated based on the worker's base salary, considering a percentage of 30% on the total value.

The percentage in question is stipulated by law and applied regardless of collective negotiations between the parties.

Understand the importance of the Hazard Pay!

The purpose of the additional payment is to financially compensate workers exposed to risks and also encourage the implementation of safety measures in the workplace.

Employers are therefore encouraged to adopt accident prevention measures and also offer training to reduce risks, thus aiming to protect the health and physical integrity of professionals.

Who is entitled?

There are a number of professionals who can have access to hazard pay and the activities considered dangerous are those that involve the following factors:

• flammable, explosive or electrical energy;
• robberies or other types of physical violence in professional activities of personal or property security.

It is worth noting that to be entitled to the additional amount, it is necessary to undergo an expert assessment so that a report can be issued that determines whether the activity presents a risk to life and, therefore, requires payment. hazard pay.

Among the activities that include the additional value in workers' salaries, the following stand out:

Dangerous operations with flammable materials

• Services related to the maintenance of vessels, tank cars, tank trucks, pumps and flammable containers;
• Operation and maintenance services for vessels, tank cars, tank trucks and containers of liquefied flammable gases;
• Storage of flammable liquids in tanks or containers;
• Storage of liquefied gaseous flammables in tanks or containers;
• Operations carried out at service stations and pumps supplying flammable liquids;
• Other activities such as maintenance, lubrication, vehicle washing, mechanics, electricity, sales office and management;
• Filling any type of container containing flammable liquids;
• Filling any containers with liquefied gaseous flammables.

Dangerous operations with exposure to theft

They are characterized as activities that may put the professional's life at risk, such as exposure to robbery.

According to what is set out in Annex 3 of NR 16, there are several professionals who are vulnerable to this risk, especially those who work with armed escort, surveillance or transporting valuables.

Personal or property security professionals

In appendix 3 of NR 16 it is also possible to understand which professionals who work in the security area are entitled to hazard pay.

Thus, employers who carry out property or personal security activities in metro, port, railway, airport and public property facilities, who have been hired directly or indirectly by the public administration, stand out.

Hazard pay: operations with electrical energy

Other professionals who are entitled to the additional payment are those who work exposed to operations involving electrical energy, such as the following:

• Perform activities or operations in high-voltage electrical installations or equipment;
• who carry out activities or operations involving close proximity work, as provided for in NR-10
• who carry out activities or operations in low-voltage electrical installations and equipment in the electrical consumption system (SEC);
• companies that operate in facilities or equipment that are part of the electrical power system (SEP), as well as their contractors, as provided for in the activities and respective areas described in table 1.

Dangerous activities on motorcycles

This activity includes professionals who use motorcycles to perform their work duties on public roads considered dangerous.

Therefore, this group of workers may also be entitled to an additional 30% on top of their base salary.

Can the company stop paying the additional amount at any time?

To access the hazard pay, an assessment must be made to issue a side that attests to this benefit for a given activity, therefore, the reverse process can also occur.

If the company, for some reason, stops carrying out activities that present a risk to the employee or transfers the employee to another role that does not present a risk, the payment of such benefit may be cancelled.

For the cancellation to be carried out, a new assessment must be carried out to issue a new side attesting to the change.

Therefore, it is important that companies keep the report up to date and payments up to date.

The main differences between the hazardous work allowance and the unhealthiness allowance

The hazard pay bonus is characterized as a benefit that grants 30% more than the base salary, being paid to the professional exposed to risks.

The unhealthiness bonus, in turn, is paid to those who carry out activities in places where exposure to agents is harmful to health, where contact is frequent and in the long term can cause problems for the professional.

In this case, the calculation is 20% more than the minimum wage.

Conclusion

In short, understanding how it works hazard pay is essential for both workers and employers.

The benefit in question ensures that employees exposed to risks to their health and physical integrity are compensated with an additional amount of 30% on top of their base salary.

Furthermore, the benefit differs from the unhealthiness bonus.