Vale is committed to the comprehensive health of its employees, which guides the company's initiatives in promoting employee well-being.
We develop actions aligned with local legal requirements, the World Health Organization's global agenda, and the Sustainable Development Goals. In this section, we highlight our contribution to SDG 3 — Good Health and Well-being - through various initiatives. Our actions cover topics such as:
- Promotion of physical cardiovascular, and mental health
- Vaccination campaigns
- Prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections
- Prenatal care
- Suicide prevention
- Workplace physiotherapy
- Rehabilitation of employees on leave Employee assistance
- Prevention and treatment of substance dependence
- Among other initiatives focused on comprehensive health care
Additionally, to reduce employee exposure to health risks, Vale has global guidelines on occupational hygiene, ergonomics, and fatigue, as well as quantitative targets to reduce medium-term risk scenarios.
Regular campaigns reinforce the dissemination of information and health education, promoting care for both employees and contractors. In addition to annual themed weeks, such as Health Week and the Internal Week for the Prevention of Workplace Accidents (SIPAT), we maintain ongoing programs and actions focused on engagement and mobilization of all workers.
Key initiatives include:
With mandatory employee participation, this initiative includes regular health check-ups, prevention-focused training, functional capacity assessments, and preventive movements. These actions follow global guidelines for health risk management, covering ergonomics and occupational hygiene.
Throughout the year, we address various health topics based on the World Health Organization's calendar, aiming to raise awareness and provide knowledge to our employees.
These include:
These include:
- Mental health prevention
- Safe and healthy Carnival
- Dengue prevention
- Influenza vaccination
- Bone health campaigns
- Hearing conservation
- Respiratory protection
- Suicide prevention
- Fatigue prevention
- Men's and women's health
- Prevention of sexually transmitted infections
Vale actively works to prevent conditions that may lead to employee disability, establishing global guidelines for healthy working conditions. With an interdisciplinary approach involving Health, Human Resources, and Leadership teams, the company has established multidisciplinary committees and adopted common management indicators for monitoring and decision-making.
Risk monitoring is carried out at three levels:
Risk monitoring is carried out at three levels:
- First: Focused on collective risk monitoring;
- Second: Focused on employees at risk of leave;
- Third: Focused on employees on leave or in the return-to-work process.
Vale has implemented the "Minas por Mentes" program, aimed at reducing the stigma around mental health, supporting employees' emotional well-being, ensuring access to specialized treatment, and expanding knowledge on the topic. The program brings together global and local initiatives guided by regulatory frameworks and is structured around three strategic pillars: prevention, promotion, and intervention in mental health.
Actions include psychoeducation campaigns, tools and benefits available to employees, self-assessment instruments, coordinated individual care, proactive approaches, monitoring of critical cases, and customized interventions for groups, addressing key psychosocial factors (individual and organizational) that influence employee health.
Actions include psychoeducation campaigns, tools and benefits available to employees, self-assessment instruments, coordinated individual care, proactive approaches, monitoring of critical cases, and customized interventions for groups, addressing key psychosocial factors (individual and organizational) that influence employee health.
Across our operations, we run risk management programs focused on identifying and monitoring workplace environments to eliminate or, when not possible, control environmental risk agents. We work to eliminate risks by replacing materials and chemicals with safer alternatives and implementing collective measures to minimize them. When these are not feasible, employees and contractors make intensive use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
We have global guidelines for Occupational Hygiene aimed at establishing minimum requirements for managing environmental risks. Since 2019, we have had a consolidated plan backed by senior leadership, with clearly defined targets to reduce exposure above Vale's Occupational Exposure Limit (LEO).
We have global Occupational Hygiene guidelines that establish the minimum requirements for environmental risk management.
Since 2019, Vale has set a goal to reduce by 50% the number of exposures to health-harmful agents in the workplace by the end of 2025. That year, 23,000 exposures were recorded. In December 2025, we achieved the intended objective, reducing that number to 8,000 exposures. The challenge now is to sustain this reduction and reassess, with more than five years of data, the risk scenarios — both qualitative and quantitative — ensuring increasingly safe and healthy work environments for all our employees.
We have global guidelines for Occupational Hygiene aimed at establishing minimum requirements for managing environmental risks. Since 2019, we have had a consolidated plan backed by senior leadership, with clearly defined targets to reduce exposure above Vale's Occupational Exposure Limit (LEO).
We have global Occupational Hygiene guidelines that establish the minimum requirements for environmental risk management.
Since 2019, Vale has set a goal to reduce by 50% the number of exposures to health-harmful agents in the workplace by the end of 2025. That year, 23,000 exposures were recorded. In December 2025, we achieved the intended objective, reducing that number to 8,000 exposures. The challenge now is to sustain this reduction and reassess, with more than five years of data, the risk scenarios — both qualitative and quantitative — ensuring increasingly safe and healthy work environments for all our employees.
The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) is a preventive tool developed for individual health screening of employees, based on an ordinal random forest machine learning model. Using a range of continuous and/or categorical explanatory variables, the HRA evaluates three dimensions of Integrated Health: Lifestyle Habits, Cardiovascular Risk, and Emotional Health.
The tool provides an early estimate of individual illness risk and a population-level overview that supports health program management by departments and leadership. With a focus on Preventive and Population Health, the HRA assists leaders in health-related decisionmaking through the management of leading indicators.
The tool provides an early estimate of individual illness risk and a population-level overview that supports health program management by departments and leadership. With a focus on Preventive and Population Health, the HRA assists leaders in health-related decisionmaking through the management of leading indicators.
The Vale Running Circuit is a health and quality of life promotion initiative aligned with Vale's purpose of improving life and transforming the future together. More than a sporting and leisure activity, the race represents an opportunity for holistic health care — physical, mental, and social. Vale believes in the importance of this care and promotes the race as a way to connect employees and the community, encouraging physical activity and improved quality of life.
The circuit is open to the public and includes stages in Nova Lima (MG), Parauapebas (PA), Säo Luis (MA), and Vit6ria (ES), with walking (3 km) and running (5 km and 10 km) categories. The event is open to individuals aged 18 and over and is inclusive of people with disabilities. In addition to the races, participants enjoy recreational and health promotion activities, such as interactive games at the Vale Space, health circuits, and quick massages.
The circuit is open to the public and includes stages in Nova Lima (MG), Parauapebas (PA), Säo Luis (MA), and Vit6ria (ES), with walking (3 km) and running (5 km and 10 km) categories. The event is open to individuals aged 18 and over and is inclusive of people with disabilities. In addition to the races, participants enjoy recreational and health promotion activities, such as interactive games at the Vale Space, health circuits, and quick massages.
The Cegonha Program aims to empower families in preparation for the arrival of a child and to foster a culture of genuine, active care through support, information, and encouragement of breastfeeding.
This global program sets requirements for managing ergonomic risks at Vale, enabling the anticipation and identification of physical, cognitive, ana organizational ergonomc rlSl< Tactors, as well as tne assessment OT tner Impacts ana prioritization OT actions ana projects to reduce or eliminate risks to employees.
Fatigue Prevention is also a global program that outlines minimum guidelines for the development, implementation, and monitoring of local fatigue prevention programs. Its goal is to ensure that controls to effectively mitigate risks associated with fatigue and drowsiness are properly implemented and managed, while also providing basic information on human fatigue and its contribution to incidents and health issues.
These are physiotherapy clinics located within company health units, designed to provide necessary treatment to employees working in remote areas or facing transportation challenges between external clinics and mine sites. The initiative focuses on reducing absenteeism related to musculoskeletal conditions.
This program focuses on monitoring and treating employees who smoke, reinforcing self-care, and the prevention of tobacco-related diseases.
This initiative promotes integration and reflection on family life and its relationship with the workplace through lectures and themed workshops.
A dedicated moment for teams to pause and reflect on their actions and emotions, recognize vulnerabilities, and understand that seeking help is part of self-care.
This initiative aims to bring Health services closer to operational areas and contribute effectively to improving employees' quality of life.
Focused on encouraging reflection on the importance of planning and managing household budgets, this initiative raises awareness about the proper use of income and appropriate allocation of resources.
The self-assessment is performed daily through a computerized system, with the goal of tracking employee readiness. The process takes into account physical, emotional, and cognitive health factors to identify the level of focus, attention, and concentration at the start of and throughout the workday. Prontos is a technological system that uses preventive and educational approaches in order to make the employee's workday safer, with no punitive intent. The management of the Readiness Test Assessment is structured around 2 pillars: a focus on critical areas with a panoramic view of higher-risk users, and recognition of leadership that promotes dialogue and support for employees who show changes in the evaluated parameters.
Implement a set of measures aimed at promoting the physical and mental well-being of women, respecting the physiological, metabolic, psychological, and social characteristics of the female gender. The initiative strengthens Vale's commitment to promoting a culture of inclusion in its operations and fostering one of our strategic pillars of valuing those who make up our company.
Vale adopts a structured and integrated approach to managing potentially hazardous substances across its operations. This strategy is based on the development of a comprehensive inventory of the chemical products used, enabling the mapping of substances classified as hazardous, as well as the teams and processes involved in their use.
This inventory is complemented by a rigorous control system for the entry of restricted substances, grounded in internationally recognized lists, such as those from UN and ILO Conventions.
This inventory is complemented by a rigorous control system for the entry of restricted substances, grounded in internationally recognized lists, such as those from UN and ILO Conventions.
In line with our commitment to amplifying the positive impact of our actions, Vale has proposed to the Brazilian Mining Institute
(IBRAM) the creation of a dedicated committee focused on the progressive elimination of hazardous substances in the mining sector. The initiative aims to identify substances of greatest concern across the production chain and promote the transition to safer and more sustainable alternatives.
The committee's mission will be to assess the risks associated with the most critical substances, considering impacts on health, safety, and the environment, while encouraging the development of innovative solutions and the adoption of substitutes that significantly reduce these risks.
This proposal aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 17, which emphasizes the importance of partnerships in achieving the 2030 Agenda, and SDG 12, which promotes sustainable production and consumption patterns.
In this context, the committee will work on formulating strategies to reduce the use of potentially hazardous substances in production processes, contributing to a more responsible industry committed to the future of the planet.
The prioritization of risk management actions will be based on technical criteria defined by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) , ensuring alignment with global best practices in chemical safety.
(IBRAM) the creation of a dedicated committee focused on the progressive elimination of hazardous substances in the mining sector. The initiative aims to identify substances of greatest concern across the production chain and promote the transition to safer and more sustainable alternatives.
The committee's mission will be to assess the risks associated with the most critical substances, considering impacts on health, safety, and the environment, while encouraging the development of innovative solutions and the adoption of substitutes that significantly reduce these risks.
This proposal aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 17, which emphasizes the importance of partnerships in achieving the 2030 Agenda, and SDG 12, which promotes sustainable production and consumption patterns.
In this context, the committee will work on formulating strategies to reduce the use of potentially hazardous substances in production processes, contributing to a more responsible industry committed to the future of the planet.
The prioritization of risk management actions will be based on technical criteria defined by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) , ensuring alignment with global best practices in chemical safety.
Link to CCPS (Center for Chemical Process Safety) elements
Pillars
- Commitment to Process Safety
- Understanding hazards and risks
- Risk management
- Learning from experience
Elements
- Stakeholder Awareness
- Understanding hazards and risks
- Safe work practices / Management of change
- Critical review and continuous improvement
Alignment with ICMM (International Council on Mining and Metals) Mining Principles
- Principle 4: Risk Management
- Principle 5: Health and Safety
- Principle 8: Responsible Production
- Principle 10: Stakeholder Engagement
Technical and Regulatory Foundations
Until the complete substitution or elimination of harmful substances is achieved, Vale follows robust guidelines to mitigate chemical and environmental risks. Our strategies are grounded in the principles of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), which classifies physical, human health, and environmental hazards, and establishes clear communication standards.
We also apply the concepts of Process Safety Management (PSM), adapted to the specific characteristics of mining and incorporating lessons learned from the chemical industry.
We also apply the concepts of Process Safety Management (PSM), adapted to the specific characteristics of mining and incorporating lessons learned from the chemical industry.
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