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Rermag 7619 Rothheadshotpngcropdisplaypngcropdisplaypngcropdisplay 1
Rermag 7619 Rothheadshotpngcropdisplaypngcropdisplaypngcropdisplay 1
Rermag 7619 Rothheadshotpngcropdisplaypngcropdisplaypngcropdisplay 1
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Time to Start Believing in Zero

Sept. 1, 2016
The rental industry is somewhat of a pressure-filled business. We know how important it is to be on time, to deliver equipment on time, to get back to the customer quickly, to make that repair as fast as possible because if we don’t perform, a competitor might take that customer away. But safety demands attention.

When I went to visit the headquarters of BlueLine Rental in my rental car, I arrived a few minutes late because as I was driving there from my hotel I received a phone call regarding a couple of things I had to take care of. So like most people I chatted on the phone for a few minutes while driving, going right past the left turn I was supposed to make, and then decided to pull into a parking lot and finish my conversation rather than be unsafe, talking on the phone while looking for a street sign.

As it turned out the topic of safety would be a dominant theme as I spent time with BlueLine Rental, and I want to give that company a “shout-out” for its emphasis on creating a safety culture. So I arrived at BlueLine’s headquarters, drove forward into a space in the front of the lot and hurried in to my appointment. In the course of my conversations with Chris Carmolingo, vice president of aerial and business development for BlueLine, I found out that BlueLine staff always park their cars in such a way that they don’t have to back out of the space. When I left later on, I saw that my car was the only one in the lot that would have to back out – everyone else either backed into their space or went in forward to the front space where there were two empties. It may be a small thing but I’ve had the experience of backing out of a space and smacking into someone’s car, and also had someone smack into me as they backed out of a space (while talking on their cell phone of course and not paying attention to what was behind them.) 

So that was my first introduction to BlueLine’s safety culture. When I visited one of its Houston branches, the first thing I saw as I walked into the showroom was a large board with safety vests, hard hats, eye and ear protection, among other safety-related items and a slogan – “Believe in Zero.” Believing in zero means believing in a zero-incident culture. Believing that it is possible and taking every step towards making it happen.

BlueLine Rental CEO Asterios Satrazemis has a goal of making BlueLine the safest company in the rental industry and so far this year BlueLine is on pace to have a third of the incidents it had last year. Whatever its numbers turn out to be this year, it’s making safety a principal value for the company. The new BlueLine has other values as well, and I hope you take the time to read about it in this month’s cover story, but I was particularly impressed by the focus on safety.

The rental industry is somewhat of a pressure-filled business. We know how important it is to be on time, to deliver equipment on time, to get back to the customer quickly, to make that repair as fast as possible because if we don’t perform, a competitor might take that customer away. But safety demands attention.

BlueLine Rental’s Humble, Texas, branch manager Chad Shaw told me how coming from the trucking industry before he came to the rental business, safety was always essential. While loading or unloading equipment, there are so many tripping hazards.

“I always say ‘Be safe,’” Shaw told me. “I want them to keep it on the forefront of their minds.”

That’s the basic BlueLine philosophy, keeping it front of mind. 

And of course BlueLine is not the only one as many rental companies are taking safety seriously. I remember discussing safety with Andrew Studdert, CEO of NES Rentals, who came from the airline industry before coming to rental. One might have a small accident driving a car, a little fender-bender where nobody gets hurt. But you can’t do that in an airplane and get off so easy.

In the rental industry, a lot of time is spent driving, a lot of time is spent with large pieces of equipment, or machines that go 60, or 120 or 180 feet in the air. Keeping safety top of mind is the only way to go and I commend the many rental companies that are increasingly taking concept seriously. 

No matter how good your safety record is and how solid your safety practices are, you should regularly review them and look for ways to make them better.