Brazil Weighs Mandatory Physiotherapists for Its Most Dangerous Workplaces
Published on 10/24/2026 at 17:11 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Brazilian lawmakers are considering a bill that would write physiotherapy into the occupational health teams of the country's riskiest employers, a move aimed at catching strain injuries before they turn into chronic damage and lost workdays.
The proposal, designated PL 2635/26, is now before the Chamber of Deputies. Under its terms, qualifying companies would have to embed qualified physiotherapy professionals directly into their internal occupational medicine and workplace safety structures.
Who would have to comply
The mandate would apply to companies with more than 250 employees that fall into risk grades 3 (medium to high) or 4 (very high). Those businesses would be required to add at least one physiotherapist to their specialised safety and occupational medicine services, known in Brazil as SESMT.
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Employers would keep latitude over how the arrangement is structured. The physiotherapist could be hired directly by the company, contracted through an outside provider, or organised under shared staffing models.
For larger organisations, the bill scales the requirement: the number of physiotherapists a company must retain rises in stages as its headcount grows.
Three core duties
The draft defines the role of these professionals within the SESMT team around three principal areas:
- targeted prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders,
- carrying out thorough ergonomic assessments at actual workstations,
- functional rehabilitation of affected employees.
The broader objective is to cut the frequency of workplace injuries significantly and reduce sickness-related absenteeism. Continuous ergonomic adjustments and preventive exercise programmes are meant to ease physical strain before it produces lasting harm.
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The legislative road ahead
The bill was introduced by Ilacir Bicalho, a substitute deputy from the Republicanos party in Minas Gerais who currently holds no seat. As the portal poder360.com.br reported on 24 October 2026, PL 2635/26 now faces a multi-stage legislative process.
Before it can take legal effect, the proposal must first clear the relevant specialist committees of the Chamber of Deputies. Hearings are planned in the health committee, the labour committee and the constitution and justice committee, which will deliver the final committee ruling. Once those deliberations conclude, further votes follow in the full Chamber of Deputies and in the Federal Senate.
