National Rental Companies, 3,000-Plus Others Join ARA’s ‘Clean.Safe.Essential.’ Program
Many of the equipment rental industry’s largest and most widely recognizable companies have integrated the American Rental Association’s “Clean. Safe. Essential.” program into their operations. H&E Equipment Services, Herc Rentals, Sunbelt Rentals, Sunstate Equipment, United Rentals and others are participating in the nationwide, rental-industry-specific ARA member program designed to help keep the rental experience safe through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
With implementation from the five largest equipment rental companies, more than 3,000 ARA member stores across the construction/industrial, general tool/light construction and party/special event segments are now recognized as “Clean. Safe. Essential.” after completing the “Clean. Safe. Essential.” training certificate program or an equivalent. Their endorsement provides key support for a national rental awareness campaign that will be rolled out in 2021 as ARA continues to support members and the vitality of the industry.
The ARA “Clean. Safe. Essential.” program provides member stores with consistent training on measures to minimize exposure to the coronavirus for customers, staff, vendors and guests. Training is based on expertise from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), rental operators and equipment manufacturers. The training is also updated with new guidance from these health organizations and ARA is currently on the third iteration of the content. Upon completion of the “Clean. Safe. Essential.” online training program, ARA members receive a certificate and an implementation kit for their specific location.
“We’re pleased that the largest organizations in our membership see the benefits of adding ‘Clean. Safe. Essential.’ to their existing safety initiatives,” said Tony Conant, ARA CEO. “We appreciate their shared commitment to the safety of the rental experience. As more and more rental stores continue to complete the training, the next step is to increase national awareness that rental is clean, safe, and essential to customer success.”
To find a rental store location participating in the “Clean. Safe. Essential.” program, rental customers can visit the newly redesigned rental store locator website www.RentalHQ.com and conduct a search for equipment or tools. Stores that have earned the “Clean. Safe. Essential.” designation will be marked with a “Clean. Safe. Essential.” badge in the search results.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.