Social
Our relationships with our workforce, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities are fundamental to our success. We aim to build a workforce that is dedicated to continuous improvement and shares our values.
The following are highlights of selected social topics discussed in our 2024 Sustainability Report. Please see the 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. The uranium mines, mills and processing facilities we operate are located in three regions: northern Saskatchewan, Ontario and the US. In each of these jurisdictions, we interact with unique local and Indigenous communities. We are committed to open and honest communication, understanding the individual needs of communities, and creating opportunities for shared value.
Learn more about our relationships
Occupational Health and Safety
Cameco employees work 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.
Safety performance
Safety is a core value at Cameco and the paramount consideration that guides all decisions and actions related to our more than 4,900 employees and contractors. We have a management system that supports the integration of safety into everything we do, and we promote a strong safety culture across our workforce.
Although there were no incidents causing a fatality or permanent disability in 2024, we did not achieve our lagging safety performance target — total recordable injury rate (TRIR). Our 2024 TRIR was 2.26 (essentially unchanged from the 2023 TRIR of 2.30) but 25% higher than our targeted TRIR of 1.8. Contributing causes to our safety performance were recruiting challenges combined with increased activity across the company. We are rapidly hiring to support our activity levels and are also competing with other industries to recruit and retain workers, resulting in a less experienced workforce overall. These challenges also apply to contractors who perform work for Cameco and have impacted our contractor safety performance as well.
Our corporate safety improvement plan, which we updated in 2024, outlines the actions we are taking to improve our safety performance and reduce injuries across our operations and covers:
- Awareness
- Accountability and oversight
- Safety culture
- Hazard assessments
- Training
- Fatigue management
To address our safety performance, in 2024 we launched a company-wide safety campaign, offered training and coaching for supervisors, and reinforced requirements and accountabilities under our contractor management program.
Learn more about occupational safety and health
Nuclear safeguards
The uranium and nuclear fuel products that we supply to our utility customers around the world are required to be used exclusively for the generation of zero-carbon nuclear power. We operate in a highly regulated industry with mature and established safeguards. We take our national and international obligations seriously and have designed our programs and processes to meet or exceed all applicable regulations regarding nuclear safeguards.
Our products are delivered to customers and accounts at licensed and safeguarded facilities in accordance with the Nuclear Cooperation Agreements (NCAs) in place with each respective country. The contracts we execute with our customers require the uranium we provide to be exclusively used for power generation and peaceful purposes.
All of our Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission-licensed operations are subject to the international safeguards regime. Our refinery, conversion plant, and Cameco Fuel Manufacturing are subject to enhanced safeguards, including frequent inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an international organization that works to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
In order to export our uranium products, we must secure the proper export licences and export permits from the CNSC and Global Affairs Canada.
As Canada is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), an international treaty established in 1970, we are subject to the treaty and comply with all IAEA requirements. The IAEA monitors what we produce and where we ship our products through a number of inspections and measurements that verify our inventories both within our equipment and of our finished product.
Learn more about nuclear safeguards
Workplace Practices
The demand for labour in the nuclear industry, including the Saskatchewan mining industry, is expected to increase significantly over the next decade.
We believe that encouraging the full economic participation of all people in our company and industry, particularly those who have historically been underrepresented, will help us meet future labour demand. Through our workplace practices, we aim to create a supportive, inclusive work environment, with a workforce that is representative of the communities in which we operate.
Our goal is a workplace where everyone feels welcome, valued, and an integral part of the team. To achieve our goal, we are committed to creating a safe, innovative, and inclusive culture where we act as “one Cameco”. Much of this work is led or supported by our Inclusion and Diversity Committee, which includes 26 volunteer employees and leaders drawn from all company locations and diversity groups.
Respecting human rights
We are committed to respecting and observing the protection of human rights and share the values reflected in international proclamations about human rights, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We respect human rights, including our employees’ right to freedom of association, wherever we operate and prohibit human trafficking, slavery, forced labour, and child labour within our operations and our supply chain.
Tailored programs
We have programs to support employees from underrepresented groups focused on the following areas:
- Pay equity
- Accessibility
- Women in leadership
- New parents
- Indigenous employment
Employee development
We believe that building the skills and competency of our workforce is critical to attracting and retaining talent, mitigating risks, and developing a team that is engaged and stays informed on industry trends and best practices. We work to develop and retain high-performing team members through workforce planning, building competencies for operational and professional development, and training and coaching for all employees.
Learn more about workplace practices
Learn more
- 2024 Sustainability Report - Social
- Our Performance for all indicator results.
| Environment and safety at our uranium operations | Environment and safety at our fuel services business |
|---|---|