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PLP 42/2023 Proposes Special Retirement for Workers Exposed to Chemical Agents Such as Pesticides, Reduces Contribution Time, and Changes Rules in Brazil.
A complementary bill that is still being processed in the National Congress could bring one of the most profound changes to retirement rules since the Pension Reform. The PLP 42/2023 has reignited the debate about special retirement for workers exposed to chemical agents, including pesticides, solvents, agricultural chemicals, and industrial products potentially harmful to health. If approved, the text could drastically reduce the time required for the concession of the benefit and directly impact sectors such as agribusiness, chemical industry, agribusiness, and logistics of inputs.
The proposal arises in a context of growing pressure from unions, medical entities, and occupational health specialists, who point out that thousands of workers remain exposed daily to dangerous substances without a recognition compatible with the real risk of the activity.
What the PLP 42/2023 Proposes About Special Retirement
The core of the PLP 42/2023 is the resumption and strengthening of special retirement for activities carried out under permanent exposure to harmful chemical agents, something that has become more restricted after the Pension Reform of 2019. The project seeks to establish clearer rules for the classification of these activities, recognizing that chemical risk, in itself, justifies a differentiated treatment in the social security system.
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In practice, the text proposes to reduce the minimum contribution time to 15 years in activities considered high-risk, provided there is technical proof of continuous and habitual exposure to chemical agents. This logic brings Brazil closer to models already adopted in countries that recognize the cumulative impact of these substances on worker health.
Why Pesticides Are at the Center of the Debate on PLP 42/2023
Although the project addresses chemical agents broadly, the use of pesticides occupies a central position in the legislative debate. Agricultural workers, applicators, spraying operators, agricultural technicians, and agroindustrial employees deal daily with substances associated with neurological, respiratory, dermatological diseases, and even cancer, according to occupational health studies.
The PLP 42/2023 is based on the understanding that the mere existence of Personal Protective Equipment does not entirely eliminate chemical risk, especially in activities carried out for long periods, under intense heat, and in open environments. This argument is already recurrent in judicial decisions that recognize special time even when PPE is provided.
How the Project Changes the Logic of Exposure Evidence
One of the most sensitive points of PLP 42/2023 is the method of proving exposure. Today, many workers face difficulties in proving their right to special retirement due to reliance on outdated, incomplete, or non-existent technical reports.
The proposal strengthens the role of documents such as the PPP (Social Security Professional Profile) and environmental reports but also opens the door for a more realistic analysis of the activity performed. The goal is to prevent bureaucracy from hindering the recognition of a risk that, in practice, has always existed.
This point concerns companies, which fear an increase in social security liabilities, but is seen as essential by occupational health specialists.
Direct Impact on Agribusiness and the Chemical Industry
If approved, PLP 42/2023 could significantly alter workforce planning in sectors intensive in chemical products.
In agribusiness, particularly in large properties and highly mechanized production chains, the recognition of special retirement could anticipate the exit of experienced workers.
In the chemical industry and agroindustry, the impact extends to factories of agricultural chemicals, fertilizers, paints, solvents, and industrial products. Companies may be pressured to review processes, reduce exposure, or accelerate investments in automation to mitigate social security risks.
Relation of PLP 42/2023 with the Pension Reform
One of the reasons why the project generates so much discussion is its direct relationship with Constitutional Amendment No. 103/2019, which tightened the rules for special retirement.
PLP 42/2023 functions, in practice, as an attempt to rebalance the system, recognizing that certain activities remain incompatible with long periods of contribution.
Supporters of the project argue that the reform did not eliminate chemical risk from the workplace and that requiring 25 or more years of contribution in harmful activities represents a silent cost shift from worker health to the public system.
Political and Economic Resistance to the Project
Like any proposal with a social security impact, PLP 42/2023 faces resistance. Business sectors warn of rising costs, legal uncertainty, and potential cascading effects on other special retirement classifications. There is also concern about the long-term fiscal impact.
On the other hand, parliamentarians supporting the project argue that the invisible cost of early illness, absences, and medical treatments already falls on the State and on the worker himself, only outside of social security statistics.
What Changes for the Worker If PLP 42/2023 Is Approved
For the worker exposed to chemical agents, the approval of PLP 42/2023 could mean less contribution time, greater predictability, and formal recognition of the risk faced throughout their career. It is not an automatic benefit, but a classification more in line with the reality of chemical work in Brazil.
The project is still being processed and may undergo changes, but it already signals an important change in mindset: that not all work can be treated as neutral from a health perspective.
If approved, PLP 42/2023 could become a landmark in the social security protection of workers exposed to pesticides and chemical agents and redefine the balance between production, profit, and health in the Brazilian labor market.
And you, reader: Should Brazil recognize earlier the wear caused by chemical agents, or does the social security cost weigh more heavily in this equation?
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