Social

Our relationships with our workforce, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities are fundamental to Cameco’s success. The protection of our workforce and the public is our top priority in our assessment of risk and planning for safe operations and product transport. To deliver on our vision to energize a clean-air world, we invest in programs to attract and retain a diverse, skilled workforce dedicated to continuous improvement and committed to our values.

The following are summary highlights of selected priority social topics. Please see our 2021 ESG Report for more information or Our Performance for all indicator results.

Relationships with Indigenous Peoples
and Local Communities

We believe that Indigenous Peoples and local communities should benefit from resource development on or near their communities or traditional lands, through employment, training, business opportunities, community investment, and environmental stewardship. Cameco has a long history of working collaboratively with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, exemplified by the long-term relationships and numerous mutually beneficial agreements we have with Indigenous Peoples in Canada and Australia.

Learn more about our relationships

Inclusion and Diversity

We understand the value of a diverse workforce and we embrace, encourage, and support workplace inclusion. Members of a diverse workplace bring new ideas, perspective, experiences, and expertise to the company. Our goal is to create an inclusive work environment, with a diverse and representative workforce being our measure of success.

In achieving our goal, we are committed to respecting human rights and treating all employees fairly. We adhere to all laws in the countries where we operate, including human rights, labour and employment laws. We support and respect the protection of human rights and share the values reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Our commitment to diversity begins at the top through our Board Diversity Policy. We work toward a culture where each of our workers feels welcome, valued, and an integral part of the team. We also recognize that to successfully progress toward this culture, we must engage members of the workforce throughout the journey. Five ways we support inclusion and diversity are:

Inclusive guiding standards
Inclusion and Diversity committee
Promoting a respectful workplace
Uncovering unconscious biases
Increased awareness

Learn more about inclusion and diversity

Occupational Safety and Health

Cameco works in challenging physical environments and with substances that require special attention and care. It is our responsibility to keep the occupational health and safety risks associated with our business at levels as low as reasonably achievable, and to send our workers home safely at the end of their shift or work rotation.

Foundations for a safety culture

Safety is a core value at Cameco and the paramount consideration that guides all decisions and actions related to the health and safety of our more than 2,300 employees and contractors. We build safety into the design and operation of our facilities, have a management system that supports the integration of safety into everything we do, and promote a strong safety culture across our workforce.

Safety Culture Survey - We conduct a safety culture assessment at each Canadian site approximately every five years. The safety culture assessments conducted in 2021 showed an overall trend to more positive perceptions of Cameco’s safety culture. Our strong response to the COVID-19 pandemic and our progress towards a more respectful workplace were viewed positively.

Strong systems - We manage the safety of our workers through programs, systems, and standards, with our Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) Policy providing overarching guidance.

Proactive safety behaviours - While good standards and procedures are important, strong safety performance requires more than simply following procedures. We encourage workers to stop work when they feel unsure or unsafe and to discuss issues with their supervisors and subject matter experts before proceeding. To identify and reduce hazards, we use tools and procedures including:

Five-point safety system cards, which encourage workers to ask five safety-related questions to eliminate hazards.
STOP, a safety observation program designed to identify and address unsafe conditions and work practices before an incident or injury occurs.
Field level risk assessments, job hazard assessments, and self-check to assess workplace hazards prior to and during work.

Training - Training is an important part of the process to help workers understand how to work safely. Training covers all aspects of our business and includes technical operational skills, specific safety procedures, radiation protection, and emergency response. Required training is carefully tracked to verify that qualified individuals carry out activities.