United Rentals Tops 100,000 Trained in Trench Safety

May 1, 2014
United Rentals’ Trench Safety Training Program has topped 100,000 construction workers trained in Confined Space Entry and Excavation Safety for Competent Persons.

United Rentals’ Trench Safety Training Program has topped 100,000 construction workers trained in Confined Space Entry and Excavation Safety for Competent Persons, the company said. The company’s Trench Safety division trained a record 17,375 workers in 2013 through classroom training, its train-the-trainer program and its online training program.

United Rentals has steadily expanded its trench safety training program with resources that help contractors comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements. Over the past two years, the company introduced online training options, launched classroom sessions in Canada, developed a train-the-trainer program and initiated Spanish-language training in the United States. A new interactive section of the company website, www.unitedrentals.com, allows trainees to locate classes – held monthly at over 70 trench safety branches – and register to attend online.

“We believe that effective training, combined with the optimal piece of safety equipment or engineered shoring system, creates the best defense against onsite injuries,” said Brett Sondergard, United Rentals sales and marketing director. “As the largest trench safety provider in North America, we have dedicated our resources to help our customers achieve accident prevention and regulatory compliance.”

United Rentals offers a comprehensive range of professional instruction for customers, including operator certification by IVES-certified instructors on aerial equipment, loaders and backhoes, skid-steer loaders, vertical reach forklifts, rough terrain forklifts, and excavators; OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour construction training; confined space entry training; excavation competent person training, and a familiarization course on boom lifts and scissor lifts to meet ANSI requirements. In addition, the company partners with the American Heart Association to offer First Aid and CPR training programs.

Based in Stamford, Conn., United Rentals is No. 1 on the RER 100.