RENO, Nev., June 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the second consecutive year, Sierra Pacific Resources has been recognized for significant achievement in the area of accident prevention and workplace safety by the American Gas Association (AGA).
The company earned an Accident Prevention Certificate for 2007 by achieving a total Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable injury and illness incidence rate below the industry average for company size. Sierra Pacific was one of 55 energy companies, out of 202 AGA member companies, to be recognized as an industry leader in reaching accident prevention goals in 2007. Sierra Pacific falls into the "Very Large Combination (Gas & Electric Operations)" company category based on the company's employee headcount. The award covers Resources' subsidiaries Sierra Pacific Power Company in northern Nevada and Nevada Power Company in southern Nevada.
Sierra Pacific Power Company's natural gas operations department was also recently recognized by the AGA as a top performer nationwide for preventing damage to gas pipelines by ensuring they are properly located and marked at construction sites.
"We're extremely proud of our employees for doing an exemplary job every day and doing it safely," said Michael Yackira, President and CEO of Sierra Pacific Resources. "We are very serious about promoting safe workplaces and practices for our employees and our customers every day, and I am pleased this has been recognized by AGA."
Added Kerry Bruce, manager, Safety and Health for the company, "Safety is a value that our company lives daily. We keep safety in the forefront and work hard to ensure that each employee goes home injury free. I am delighted that we are being recognized for our efforts."
Headquartered in Nevada, Sierra Pacific Resources is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries are Nevada Power Company, the electric utility for most of southern Nevada, and Sierra Pacific Power Company, the electric utility for most of northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe area of California. Sierra Pacific Power Company also distributes natural gas in the Reno-Sparks area of northern Nevada.
The American Gas Association, founded in 1918, represents 202 local energy companies that deliver natural gas throughout the United States. There are nearly 70 million residential, commercial and industrial natural gas customers in the U.S., of which 92 percent -- more than 64 million customers -- receive their gas from AGA members. Today, natural gas meets almost one-fourth of the United States' energy needs. For more information, please visit http://www.aga.org/.
