ESI earns elite Voluntary Protection Program recertification

ESI, Inc. was recently recertified as a Voluntary Protection Program Star Mobile Workforce contractor through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

OSHA describes VPP as a model of excellence that can influence best practices industrywide. VPP Star Mobile Workforce was developed for contractors and subcontractors who move site-to-site to provide construction, maintenance and repair services.

ESI first earned VPP status in 2018.

Founded in 1966, ESI, Inc. is part of the MDU Resources family of companies. ESI, Inc. is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with locations in Dayton, Cleveland and Columbus.

ESI, Inc. honored with industry Safety Achievement Award for outstanding injury and illness statistics

ESI, Inc., was recently honored by Builders Exchange of Central Ohio with a 2022 Safety Achievement Award for having outstanding injury and illness statistics. Builders Exchange, a commercial construction trade association, presents this award annually to acknowledge the industry’s commitment to safety in central Ohio.

To be considered for this award, the Builders Exchange member must demonstrate its commitment to safety. A panel of volunteer safety professionals reviews each applicant’s statistical data, comparing them to national standards for their industry classification. In addition, the safety judges make unannounced visits to company jobsites to ensure they are enacting safety in the field.

“Not only did ESI’s statistical safety data prove to be below the national figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but our team members also demonstrated safety within the field during an unannounced safety audit performed by a panel of volunteer safety judges,” Barry Smallwood, ESI safety director, said. “Creating and maintaining a safe place of employment truly requires a team effort.”

ESI, part of the MDU Resources family of companies, provides industry-leading construction services across Ohio and the surrounding region.

Intermountain Gas earns 2022 ENERGY STAR® Market Leader Award

Intermountain Gas, one of MDU Resources’ utility subsidiaries, received the 2022 ENERGY STAR® Market Leader Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its outstanding efforts to promote energy efficient residential construction and help homebuyers and residents experience the quality, comfort, and value that come with living in an ENERGY STAR certified home or apartment.

Each year, the ENERGY STAR Residential New Construction program presents Market Leader Awards to outstanding partners who have made important contributions to energy efficient construction and environmental protection by building or verifying a significant number of ENERGY STAR certified homes and apartments, or by sponsoring a local program that supported these activities during the previous year. More than120,000ENERGY STAR certified single-family homes and multifamily units were built in 2021, for a total exceeding 2.3 million homes since 1995.

Intermountain Gas had 1,685 ENERGY STAR certified homes and/or apartments in 2021.

“Intermountain is proud to partner with ENERGY STAR and ENERGY STAR Certified home builders in energy-efficient new construction. Intermountain’s energy efficiency team has worked diligently to promote the use of high-efficient equipment and design to help customers save energy and money on home energy bills,” said Mark Chiles, vice president, regulatory affairs and customer service for Intermountain Gas.

Montana-Dakota Utilities receives Emergency Response Award from Edison Electric Institute

 

Montana-Dakota Utilities was announced as an Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Award recipient. Presented to EEI member companies, the Emergency Response Awards recognize recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events.

The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI 2022, EEI’s annual thought leadership forum.

“Over the past year, electric companies confronted severe storms and extreme weather events, including hurricanes, tornadoes, and winter storms, that impacted customers and communities across the nation,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn. “Despite challenging conditions, Montana-Dakota and its employees worked to restore power safely and as quickly as possible following a late April blizzard. I congratulate and applaud Montana-Dakota and their employees for their continued dedication to the customers and communities that they serve, and I am honored to present them with this well-deserved award.”

Montana-Dakota’s service territory was hit with widespread power outages and unprecedented damage to its electric system from the storm. Rain that turned to a thick ice coating on powerlines coupled with wind gusts that pushed 60 mph in some areas was the main culprit. Outage restorage spanned eight days.

“We had 18,000 customers without service at the peak of the event. We had 100 linemen working to replace approximately 150 power poles and repair 350 crossarms, as well as the associated ridge irons, braces, pins, insulators and wire,” said Eric Martuscelli, vice president, field operations. “This was a team effort from day one. We were able to restore power faster than anticipated which is a testament to the hard work of our employees.”

MDU Resources recognized as top contributor to United Way 2021 campaign

Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota-based employees of MDU Resources Group, Montana-Dakota Utilities, Knife River Corporation, WBI Energy and MDU Construction Services Group played an important role in helping the Missouri Slope Area United Way raise a record-breaking $3,104,440 for its 2021 campaign.

Contributions from employees and the MDU Resources Foundation totaled $136, 619. Thanks to their generosity, MDU Resources was recognized by the Missouri Slope Areawide United Way as the top contributor to the 2021 campaign. This is the second time in three years that MDU Resources received this honor; the last time was in 2019.

Duro Electric named to 2022 Top Performers list by Associated Builders and Contractors

Duro Electric, part of the MDU Resources family of companies, was named to the 2022 Top Performers list compiled by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).

This annual list highlights contractors that have earned ABC’s Accredited Quality Contractor credentials for their commitment to corporate responsibility in quality, safety, talent management — including inclusion, diversity and equity — education and community relations.

For 2022, Duro Electric was listed:

  • No. 114 on Top 200 Performers list;
  • No. 54 on ABC’s top Trade Contractors list;
  • No. 24 on ABC’s Top Electrical Contractors list; and
  • No. 14 on ABC’s Top Religious Contractors list.

Liberty Mutual recognizes MDU Resources companies for 2021 safety achievements

Several MDU Resources Group companies were recognized by Liberty Mutual Insurance for outstanding, excellent and commendable safety performance in 2021. Liberty Mutual gives the awards to recognize ongoing, effective safety programs and initiatives that produced lower or much lower work-related injury/illness rates than industry averages.

The following companies received awards:

Gold Award
The Gold Award recognizes companies with a DART rate 80% better than industry average with a minimum of 200,000 labor hours.

  • Anchorage Sand & Gravel.
  • Desert Fire Protection.
  • ESI.
  • Knife River Construction — Northern California Stockton.
  • Knife River — North Dakota.
  • Loy Clark Construction.
  • USI Industrial Services.


Silver Award
The Silver Award recognizes companies with a DART rate 60% better than industry average with a minimum of 200,000 labor hours.

  • Knife River Materials — Northern Minnesota.


Commendation

Liberty Mutual awards Commendations to companies that achieved a DART rate 50% better than industry average with no minimum labor hours.

  • Capital Electric Construction.
  • Connolly-Pacific Company.
  • Jebro.
  • Knife River — Montana/Wyoming.
  • Lone Mountain Excavation.
  • Pacific Northwest Oil.
  • Wagner-Smith Equipment.

Liberty Mutual provides workers compensation, general liability and auto liability coverages for many operations that are part of MDU Resources.

Lone Mountain wins prestigious safe digging award

 

Lone Mountain Excavation recently received the 2021 Silver Shovel Award from the Nevada Regional Common Ground Alliance. From left are Larry Hanson, safety director; Stefan Hoffman, president; Alex Slocum, foreman; Haley Burger, project engineer; and Darren Blitsch, foreman.

 

Lone Mountain Excavation & Utilities recently took home the top prize at the Nevada Regional Common Ground Alliance’s annual awards dinner. The NRCGA honors one excavation company each year with the Silver Shovel Award in recognition of excellence in safe digging.

To be eligible for the award, contractors must have had no at-fault damages to underground utilities during the previous 12 months. Nominees also undergo a 45-minute interview with the NRCGA board of directors. Lone Mountain was nominated for the award by NRCGA and the Nevada Public Utilities Commission.

Lone Mountain President Stefan Hoffman and Safety Director Larry Hanson fielded the board’s interview questions.

“One question was about calling in for re-marks,” Hanson said. “They asked about our process and communication to the field. We have one person who handles all 811 calls. The more hands involved, the greater chance something will get missed, so we dialed it down to one person. They liked that.”

Hanson said during the interview he and Hoffman emphasized that it’s always about the team and not the individual, and that the health and well-being of employees comes first.

Hoffman credits the entire Lone Mountain team with earning this award.

“Our team works together so well, and we take these initiatives about underground utilities so seriously,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman and Hanson shared a few company best practices that contribute to their safe digging record.

  • Slow down and think. Taking five to 10 extra minutes to plan work could prevent an accident that causes property damage or injures someone.
  • Constant education. Safe digging is constantly being talked about in the field and is drilled down from leadership to field leaders to all employees.
  • While Lone Mountain always calls 811 before digging, the company recognizes even that process has room for errors. Therefore, they spend a little extra time and money to hire a hydroexcavation or vacuum excavation contractor to open things up before they start work. This allows their crews to see exactly what they’re dealing with before they put a bucket in the ground.

Lone Mountain is a leader in the field of commercial earthwork and paving preparation for the greater Las Vegas metropolitan and surrounding areas.

Duro Electric named 2021 Accredited Quality Contractor

Duro Electric recently was named a 2021 Accredited Quality Contractor by Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. The AQC program documents a company’s commitment to quality, its community and its employees. Duro Electric, located in Englewood, Colorado, has been AQC certified since 2009.

Duro Electric President Mark Stark said earning this prestigious recognition is a team effort.

“I’m proud of our team for their continued focus on safety, quality and community,” he said. “They are the reason we earned this certification.”

To be considered for recertification, Duro Electric provided detailed information on its safety practices, financial strength, orientation and training programs, benefits, community relations and diversity activities, and more. The application also requires five recommendation letters from clients, architects and subcontractors attesting to the company’s merit.

Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. is a national construction industry trade association representing more than 21,000 members. ABC and its 69 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work.