Safety’s a top priority at Great River Energy’s Elk River Station
Elk River, MN (January 25, 2002) - Employees at Great River Energy’s Elk River Station generation facility are continuing to meet and exceed their safety records. On January 25, Elk River Station employees marked four years working without a lost-time accident. This milestone totals more than 393 thousand hours worked without a lost-time injury.
“I am confident when I come to work each day that employees are practicing safe work habits, because safety is a priority at Great River Energy,” explained Wayne Hanson, Great River Energy, manager of Minnesota generation. “Thanks to our dedicated employees who use careful judgment in planning their work tasks and attend safety training, this milestone was accomplished.”
“The continued commitment of each Elk River Station employee to work safety, and to look out for each other, is the reason we achieved this goal,” said Elk River Station supervisor, utility/safety training, Gary Kleis. “We have a program that allows employees to voice their concerns regarding safety issues, and we take these issues very seriously.”
According to Kleis, Elk River Station has an active safety committee that plays a key role in making the plant a safe place to work.
The Elk River Station waste-to-energy plant burns municipal solid waste in three boilers and converts this energy into 35 MW of electrical power - enough to supply 11,000 homes. Forty-three employees work in shifts to keep the facility operating.
Great River Energy, the owner and operator of the Elk River Station, is a generation and transmission cooperative, headquartered in Elk River, MN. The cooperative serves customers of 29 cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is a Touchstone Energy® cooperative.
