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MRES Distribution Maintenance Superintendent Jeff Becthold (left) accepts the 2023 Safety Award of Excellence from Scott McKenzie, chair of the APPA's Engineering and Operations Conference safety track and senior director of member training and safety at American Municipal Power, Inc.

MRES honored with national award for outstanding safety practices

For the second year, MRES earns APPA's top safety award

SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA — Missouri River Energy Services (MRES) has earned the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2023. MRES earned first place in the category for utilities with 30,000-50,000 worker-hours of annual exposure.

In 2023, MRES had zero work-related fatalities and no lost-time accidents. It is the second year in a row MRES has earned the first-place award.

The APPA’s Safety Awards have been held annually for over 65 years, and more than 150 utilities entered the contest last year. Entrants are placed in categories according to their number of worker-hours and ranked based on the most incident-free records and the overall state of their safety programs and culture. The incidence rate is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during the year, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

“This award is a testament to how seriously our employees value not only their safety but also the safety of their co-workers, our members’ staff and their customers,” said MRES President and CEO Matt Schull. “We’re committed to sending our employees home safe every day, and we’re proud of the work that goes into earning this award. Congratulations to all our employees, especially our line crews and power plant operators, for their ongoing commitment to safety.”

MRES is an organization of 61 member municipalities in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Each member owns and operates a municipal electric utility. MRES provides its members wholesale electricity and a wide range of energy-related services.

APPA is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide.

For more information, contact MRES Vice President of Member Services and Communications Tim Blodgett at 605-338-4042 or info@mrenergy.com.