Life matters most
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Our strategic approach
The Safety and Operational Excellence Department is responsible for establishing the policies and technical guidelines for managing health, safety and operational risks, as well as for the Vale Production System (VPS) management model. The department serves as the second line of defense within the Company’s risk management framework.
Within this scope, the department establishes standards, policies and procedures for identifying, classifying and managing risks, including critical controls to prevent incidents, as well as mitigation measures such as emergency response, crisis management and business continuity, aligned with industry best practices and specific requirements.
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Our health and safety strategy is built on three core pillars
Our guiding principle: Every accident is preventable.
Prevention of injuries and chronic illnesses
Prevention of fatalities
Prevention of catastrophic accidents (operational risk and process safety):
Occupational safety, process safety, environmental and community incidents and nonconformities are reported, investigated and communicated to address their root causes and contributing factors. Corrective and preventive measures are implemented to promote organizational learning.
For more information on health and safety initiatives, see the Social Data tab in our ESG Databook.
Risk management and emergency response guidelines
- Identify, classify and manage risks, taking into account impacts on safety, the environment, communities and business continuity.
- Establish a corporate standard for the integrated management of emergencies, crises and business continuity, with clearly defined governance, responsibilities and response levels.
- Implement and maintain response plans based on risk scenarios, ensuring that people, the environment and assets are safeguarded.
- Provide ongoing training and drills for personnel in critical roles, including coordination with internal and external stakeholders.
- Ensure the availability and reliability of the human, material, technological and logistical resources required for effective response.
- Coordinate emergency management with authorities, communities and other relevant stakeholders, promoting transparency, communication and an integrated response.
Our management model: the Vale Production System (VPS)
Vale’s health and safety, risk and sustainability management processes are embedded in the Vale Production System (VPS), which comprises three dimensions: Leadership, Technical and Management. Each dimension brings together practices, guidelines and policies that strengthen our culture, continuously improving and sustaining our results while addressing risks related to both the business and people. The VPS is mandatory across all organizational levels at Vale.
The VPS incorporates leading market practices, strengthens governance, promotes compliance with applicable national and international standards, and advances safety, efficiency, sustainability and continuous improvement based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. By integrating our purpose, behaviors and processes, the VPS guides our people in achieving the best results while ensuring consistency and alignment in the way we work, contributing to a safer, more efficient and more responsible Vale.
The system consists of 10 practices encompassing 39 requirements. These requirements establish the minimum guidelines for the effective operation of the management system. Each practice provides direction for the actions required by the VPS while encouraging execution, continuous improvement and collaboration. The practices are organized logically in accordance with the PDCA cycle:
Occupational safety initiatives
The Vale Production System (VPS) management model includes various minimum requirements that address the impacts, risks and legal requirements associated with the Company’s activities. To protect people’s safety, Vale implements a range of initiatives, including the following:
The Critical Activities Requirements are implemented to prevent and mitigate the risks associated with the execution of tasks.
Behavioral guidelines and programs are implemented to encourage people to value safe behaviors, reject unsafe behaviors, recognize risks, and understand and comply with procedures and rules that support safe decision-making.
This process is carried out before a task begins to identify potential hazards, assess their causes and consequences, and implement appropriate control measures to ensure people’s safety.
The Safe Work Permit process, where applicable, is implemented through on-site risk assessments and the establishment of control measures to ensure that tasks are performed safely.
This is a three-tier verification methodology involving managers, supervisors/coordinators and operators (task performers). It focuses on preventing fatalities by evaluating the critical controls associated with task execution.
The HSE Management Model for Suppliers establishes health, safety and environmental (HSE) guidelines to ensure consistency and transparency in the relationship between Vale and its suppliers, as well as the implementation of HSE practices and procedures during the performance of work for Vale.
HSE guidelines and requirements are formally established in our Technical Specifications and HSE Guide for Suppliers, which are provided during the procurement process. These guidelines are reinforced during a technical visit, which is conducted to understand potential hazards in Vale’s operating environment. They are subsequently formalized in the supplier’s technical proposal and verified during the contract mobilization kick-off meeting before work begins.
Health and Safety induction training is mandatory for contractors before they are granted access to operational areas. The process includes Basic HSE Training, which covers operational risks, Vale’s mandatory standards, the Golden Rules, emergency response, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), Safe Work Permit requirements and other relevant topics. It also recognizes the supplier’s management system as the framework for training its employees assigned to Vale sites. This process is recorded during mobilization in the Contract Management System and linked to the access control system, serving as a prerequisite for on-site work.
Vale continuously evaluates the health and safety performance of contractors through monthly monitoring of leading and lagging indicators, oversight of suppliers’ safety initiatives to promote safe workplaces, compliance audits, and the application of Critical Risk Management (CRM) verification tools.
HSE performance is also monitored continuously through inspections, behavioral observations and audits. As part of this process, contract supervisors use a standardized on-site verification checklist to assess suppliers’ performance in key health and safety processes. The results are used to generate a heat map that supports critical analysis by the contract manager and helps guide the HSE team.
The results of these assessments, together with leading and lagging indicators, form part of the Annual Supplier Performance Assessment. They are used to guide action plans aimed at improving HSE maturity and to support supplier recognition programs that promote safe workplaces.
Golden Rules
Recognizing the potential risks to people’s physical safety in its workplaces, Vale has implemented mandatory preventive and mitigation controls that must be followed by all employees.
The Golden Rules are health and safety requirements that all Vale personnel, including employees and contractors, are required to follow. They establish the basic conditions for carrying out any activity at the Company and do not replace any other applicable health and safety requirements.
The rules are standardized across all Vale operations and play an important role in strengthening the Company’s safety culture and operational discipline by reinforcing expected behaviors and conduct among employees and contractors. Their primary objective is to eliminate or reduce fatalities and high-potential incidents..
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Targets, indicators and performance
Vale’s health and safety data and indicators are updated regularly and disclosed through publications such as the ESG Databook and Annual Report, both of which are published annually.
In addition, in line with our commitment to transparency, performance indicator results demonstrating the Company’s progress are submitted to mining industry organizations. For example, Vale reports annually to the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), of which it is a member, and quarterly to the Brazilian Mining Institute (IBRAM).
Health and safety targets and commitments
We are committed to improving the health and safety of our employees and contractors and enhancing the safety of our operations through the following targets:
I. Achieve zero fatalities. In 2025, there were three fatalities in our operations. However, Vale remains committed to its goal of zero fatalities.
II. Reduce N1+N2 events compared to the previous year’s result.
In 2025, the number of N1+N2 events declined by 22% compared to 2024, bringing the total reduction to 66% compared to 2019. Despite the positive results achieved in recent years, we recognize that significant effort is still required to eliminate these high-potential events.
III. Reduce the number of exposures to the main occupational health risk agents by 50% compared to 2019 by 2025. This target was achieved in 2023. In 2025, we recorded 8,500 exposures, representing a 63% reduction from the baseline.
IV. Eliminate all hazards classified as “Very High” for health, safety, the environment and communities. In 2025, we reduced the number of process safety hazards classified as “Very High” by 37.5% compared to 2024 and by 94% compared to 2023.
**All the targets include contractors.
Horizontal axis – years analyzed: 2022 to 2025, showing the annual trend in recorded N1+N2 events.
Numbers above the bars – annual total (N1+N2 events): Total number of N1 and N2 events each year: 16 in 2022, 16 in 2023, 18 in 2024 and 14 in 2025.
Context and key results
- The number of N2 events declined from five in 2022 to three in 2025, indicating a consistent reduction in the most serious incidents.
- All the data includes employees and contractors, in line with Vale’s safety policy.
Our Performance
Fatalities (N1)
Lost-time injuries, work restrictions with fatality potential or actual life-altering events (N2)
Medical treatment cases, first aid cases and other high-potential events (N3)
As we continue our journey toward an ever-safer workplace, we have seen a significant increase in the reporting of N3 events. This increase reflects a positive transformation: our safety culture is growing stronger, and our employees are becoming increasingly aware, engaged and proactive in identifying and reporting situations with a high potential for harm—those that could change lives or even result in fatalities. Every report is another step toward building a safer future for everyone.
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LTIFR | 0,28
|
0,27
|
0,34
|
TRIFR
|
1,46
|
1,47
|
1,58
|
- Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) = (Occupational Injuries / Hours Worked) × 1,000,000
- Lost-Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) = (Lost-Time Occupational Injuries / Hours Worked) × 1,000,000
Lost-Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR)¹
¹ Total number of recordable lost-time occupational injuries per million hours worked. This includes occupational injuries involving employees and contractors performing controlled activities that result in lost time.
Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR)¹
¹ Total number of recordable occupational injuries per million hours worked. This includes occupational injuries involving employees and contractors performing controlled activities that result in a fatality, lost time, work restriction, or medical treatment (excluding first aid).
Process Safety
Our process safety management model is based on the Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS) framework developed by the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS). This approach was adopted following the Brumadinho disaster, which prompted a comprehensive review of risk management at Vale and across the industry, particularly with regard to strengthening process safety management.
Since then, the Company has prioritized the implementation and ongoing enhancement of key elements of the management model adopted as its reference framework, including Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment, Management of Change, Operational Readiness, Emergency Management and Incident Investigation. The continued strengthening of our risk-based process safety management model has contributed to Vale’s strategic objectives, as demonstrated by the significant reduction in the number of high-severity process events in recent years.
We have also strengthened our management of critical controls. In 2025, the performance target for the Operational and Nonoperational Risk Critical Controls indicator was raised from 90% to 100%, reinforcing our commitment to safety. The new target requires all critical controls to be functioning effectively. Whenever a critical control fails to operate as intended, it must be immediately assessed and addressed through established management processes.
In 2025, we made further progress in the second global cycle of the Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) program, which covered five operating sites. In addition to evaluating risks related to worker safety and environmental impacts, as had been done since the first cycle, the program now also includes significant operational disruption scenarios that could result in financial losses. A key milestone in the 2025 HIRA process was bringing the risk assessment function in-house, with analyses now conducted by Vale operations personnel. This change is intended to enhance technical quality, standardize methodologies and improve the retention of knowledge about the Company’s assets and processes. We also expanded our process risk analysis training program by offering both online and in-person courses on risk assessment methodologies: What-If, Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA), Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP) and Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA). The program also included facilitator training in the PHA and HAZOP methodologies. We have made significant progress in implementing and further developing key process safety elements, such as Management of Change, Pre-Startup Safety Reviews and Hazardous Materials Management, through the dissemination of concepts and the use of related tools.
As one of our initiatives to prevent accidents with catastrophic potential, Vale began monitoring the performance of operational process safety events (P events), reinforcing one of our ambitions to be a best-in-class reliable operator. P events involve operational equipment or assets. They result in - or, under slightly different conditions or circumstances, could have resulted in - an unplanned or uncontrolled release of energy or hazardous materials (loss of containment).
In 2025 we maintained our trajectory of continuous reduction in P events, surpassing our target for the year. This performance reflects the strengthening of our safety culture and the increasing maturity of our risk management and process safety practices.
P1 and P2 events at Vale
* The P1 + P2 event data includes Vale Base Metals.
P1 (Priority 1 Process Event): An incident with the highest potential severity, often associated with the release of energy or hazardous materials, involving a critical risk of fatality, severe environmental impact or life-changing injury. These events require immediate attention and urgent response measures (such as the completion of specific alert forms) and involve notifications to corporate risk management and mitigation teams.
P2 (Priority 2 Process Event): An incident that also has high potential severity, but with somewhat less severe consequences than a P1 event. It still represents a significant operational risk and may result in serious impacts that require thorough investigation and robust corrective actions.
Both P1 and P2 events are covered by Vale’s structured Safety, Health, Environment and Communities Management System. They require formal investigations, the implementation of action plans and the completion of reports, in addition to feeding corporate indicators into systems such as SAP.
Our reduction in P1 and P2 events reflects a range of initiatives aimed at strengthening process safety management, including:
- advancements in Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) through the effective implementation of actions to reduce or eliminate risks;
- implementation of asset integrity standard requirements;
- improvements in the management and maintenance of critical control integrity;
- progress in implementing other process safety management elements, such as Management of Change and Pre-Startup Safety Reviews, including the dissemination of concepts and the use of supporting tools.
Emergency, crisis and business continuity plans
Vale also works continuously to ensure it is prepared to respond immediately to unwanted events, serving as the last line of defense to mitigate impacts should such events occur. To this end, response plans are developed and updated to minimize impacts on people, the environment, society and the business. This approach includes the following plans:
- Emergency Response Plans: They set out guidelines and actions for mitigating, preparing for and responding to emergencies that could result in harm to people, the environment, equipment, or Vale’s or third parties’ property involving activities or facilities..
- Crisis Management Plans: They aim to coordinate internal actions in a systematic manner to avoid, prevent and/or minimize impacts on Vale’s image and reputation..
- Business Continuity Plans: They establish guidelines that direct Vale’s response to a business interruption and support the resumption, recovery and restoration of product and service delivery in accordance with its business continuity objectives.
Through this approach, Vale seeks to remain prepared to address challenges and maintain safe, sustainable operations.
Learn more
Commitment to life
We adopt industry best practices for risk assessment and invest in processes and technologies to ensure a safe workplace for everyone.
Focus on health and well-being
Our commitment to workers’ mental health complements our established practices for promoting physical and emotional well-being.
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