| Posted in: News Releases

Six members of Missouri River Energy Services (MRES) and one associate are among the 138 public power utilities nationwide to earn the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Safety Award of Excellence in 2021. Nearly 320 utilities from across the country submitted applications to be considered for the annual Safety Awards.

The awards are 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. Those with the lowest safety incidence rate are then categorized into groups, which are determined by worker-hours of exposure.

MRES members earning the Safety Awards are:

  • Group A (less than 15,000 worker-hours of exposure), First Place:
    • Orange City Municipal Utilities, Orange City, Iowa
    • MRES associate Sleepy Eye Public Utilities, Sleepy Eye, Minnesota
  • Group C (30,000 to 59,999 worker-hours of exposure), First Place:
    • Denison Municipal Utilities, Denison, Iowa
    • Marshall Municipal Utilities, Marshall, Minnesota
    • Willmar Municipal Utilities, Willmar, Minnesota
  • Group D (60,000 to 109,999 worker-hours of exposure), First Place:
    • Detroit Lakes Public Utilities, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
  • Group D, Honorable Mention:
    • Moorhead Public Service, Moorhead, Minnesota

APPA has offered the Safety Award of Excellence for more than 65 years.

“Public power utilities are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment,” said MRES President and CEO Tom Heller. “The APPA Safety Awards reflect the high standards enforced by our members and the highly trained and skilled utility staff who follow those stringent safety practices.”

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

For more information, contact MRES Member Services and Communications Vice President Joni Livingston at 605-261-3637 or joni.livingston@mrenergy.com.