United Rentals Introduces Trench Safety Training for Customers

United Rentals last week announced that Excavation Safety for Competent Person Training will be offered at more than 60 United Rentals Trench Safety branches beginning Dec. 1. Conducted by professional trainers in compliance with federal requirements, the classes will be held on the first Friday of every month.

The expanded training platform gives United Rentals customers broader access to Excavation Competent Person instruction that satisfies Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements. The program teaches OSHA Excavation Standard Subpart P referencing proper soil test procedures, different types of protective systems and provides guidance on how to take control of hazardous conditions. In the United States, OSHA mandates that every excavation project have a trained "competent person" on site to oversee safe work practices.

"As the leading provider of trench safety equipment and services, it makes sense for us to step up and take the lead in customer training,” said Paul McDonnell, vice president – trench safety, pump and power for United Rentals. “Excavation jobsites can pose unique dangers to untrained workers. All of our instructors have trench site experience so they can speak knowledgeably about effective safety measures and regulatory expectations."

United Rentals' Excavation Competent Person Training is part of a broader curriculum for customers that include safety and fall protection, site-specific regulatory compliance, confined space training, and operator certifications for equipment such as aerial lifts, loaders, backhoes, forklifts and cranes.

Greenwich, Conn.-based United Rentals is No. 1 on the RER 100.