Blind River Refinery Safety

Setting a new safety standard

In June, 2021 our Blind River Refinery celebrated the remarkable achievement of operating for 15 years without a lost-time injury.  The safety culture that exists at the Refinery is a reflection of the commitment of every employee to put safety first – for themselves and for those around them.

Since 1990, Blind River has received Cameco's top award for safety performance, the Mary-Jean Mitchell Green Award, more times than any other Cameco facility.

Cameco's highest priorities are the health and safety of people and the protection of the environment wherever we operate.

Our refinery in Blind River has systematic programs to identify, document and address risks and engage all workers and managers in development of a strong safety culture. These programs meet the specifications of the OHSAS 18001, an international occupational health and safety system, and have delivered excellent safety performance.

The refinery is also registered under the ISO 14001 program, an internationally recognized standard for environmental management systems. This framework assists us in reaching our environmental protection goals, and allows us to demonstrate our commitment to sound environmental performance. The standard calls for annual independent audits and re-certification every three years.

Security and emergency response measures

As an industrial nuclear facility operating within an urban setting, maintaining security and safety are at the forefront of our day to day activities. Beginning with the facility’s physical design to training and equipping expert personnel, Cameco works to ensure the security and safety of our people and the local Blind River community. Our security and emergency response teams works closely with municipal emergency responders and conduct joint drills to ensure any situation can be effectively and safely avoided or resolved.

Radiation protection

Radiation protection is considered in the physical design of all facilities and operating procedures at the refinery. Our program also provides for systematic monitoring of radiation in work areas and tracking the exposures of individual workers using a combination of monitoring devices and health testing. Consistently, radiation exposure for our refinery workers are far below regulatory limits.

Regulatory oversight

The Blind River Refinery is regulated by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in accordance with the federal Nuclear Safety and Control Act and regulations. In addition to receiving Cameco's regular operational performance reports and incident reports, CNSC staff conducts regular site inspections and audits to verify that people and the environment are protected.

Our facilities are also subject to additional federal and provincial laws and regulations for the protection of workers and the environment such as:

Safety performance

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Questions?

If you have questions about any of the items posted here, or require copies of Annual Compliance Reports no longer available on our website, please contact us.