diff --git a/python/loadleveller/jobfile.py b/python/loadleveller/jobfile.py
index b55112e683426ca466706c2b3c83e2c2509a3d88..eb37bb07d690c08625dab68002cc36883448b1d5 100644
--- a/python/loadleveller/jobfile.py
+++ b/python/loadleveller/jobfile.py
@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@ import os
 import subprocess
 import errno
 
+try:
+    from yaml import CSafeLoader as SafeLoader
+except ImportError:
+    from yaml import SafeLoader
+
 '''Helpers for handling loadleveller jobfiles/scripts. For lack of a better idea, the job description files of loadleveller are actually executables that output a more verbose yaml parameter file to stdout. Use the taskmaker module to write the input scripts.'''
 
 class JobFileGenError(Exception):
@@ -19,7 +24,7 @@ class JobFile:
             raise JobFileGenError('Generation script "{}" had a non-zero return code. Treating as error.'.format(filename))
  
         try:
-            parsed_job = yaml.load(self.raw_jobfile, Loader=yaml.CSafeLoader)
+            parsed_job = yaml.load(self.raw_jobfile, Loader=SafeLoader)
             self.__dict__.update(parsed_job)
         except Exception as e: 
             raise JobFileGenError('Could not parse job generation script output: {}'.format(e))
diff --git a/python/loadleveller/mcextract.py b/python/loadleveller/mcextract.py
index 3927f23dbb64fc3e8527f6b76eb4a6f814e2049b..9c4c8fe5e9f8c9f8bdc1ed16adf0720f2334b832 100644
--- a/python/loadleveller/mcextract.py
+++ b/python/loadleveller/mcextract.py
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@ import yaml
 import numpy as np
 import itertools
 
+try:
+    from yaml import CSafeLoader as SafeLoader
+except ImportError:
+    from yaml import SafeLoader
+    
 '''This module can be used to easily extract Monte Carlo results from the *.results.yml file produced by the loadleveller library.'''
 
 class Observable:
@@ -16,7 +21,7 @@ class Observable:
 class MCArchive:
     def __init__(self, filename):
         with open(filename, 'r') as f:
-            doc = yaml.load(f, Loader=yaml.CSafeLoader)
+            doc = yaml.load(f, Loader=SafeLoader)
 
         param_names = set(sum([list(task['parameters'].keys()) for task in doc], []))
         observable_names = set(sum([list(task['results'].keys()) for task in doc], []))
diff --git a/python/loadleveller/taskmaker.py b/python/loadleveller/taskmaker.py
index f938ff3167cff270bbe5f5e2045a70b6f33f83c3..4e49fca50abfb67118649c1d772e1a32ad4683cb 100644
--- a/python/loadleveller/taskmaker.py
+++ b/python/loadleveller/taskmaker.py
@@ -3,12 +3,17 @@ import os
 import yaml
 import numpy
 
+try:
+    from yaml import CSafeLoader as SafeLoader, CSafeDumper as SafeDumper
+except ImportError:
+    from yaml import SafeLoader, SafeDumper
+
 def _expand_path(path):
     return os.path.abspath(os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path)))
 
 def JobConfig(filename):
     with open(_expand_path(filename), 'r') as f:
-        return yaml.load(f, Loader=yaml.CSafeLoader)
+        return yaml.load(f, Loader=SafeLoader)
 
 class TaskMaker:
     def __init__(self, name, jobconfig):
@@ -41,4 +46,4 @@ class TaskMaker:
                 task_dict[k] = v
             jobfile_dict['tasks'][task_name] = task_dict
 
-        print(yaml.dump(jobfile_dict, Dumper=yaml.CSafeDumper))
+        print(yaml.dump(jobfile_dict, Dumper=SafeDumper))