Are you ready for OSHA to come knocking?
By Brock Huffstutler
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Are you ready for OSHA to come knocking?

In the span of only a few minutes, you could potentially walk past tens of thousands of dollars of finable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations in your workplace. Did you know that as of Jan. 15, 2021, any one of the following is subject to a $13,653 fine?

  • Wires protruding from an electrical extension cord

  • Non-working emergency exit lighting

  • A fire extinguisher not properly tagged

These and other OSHA violations commonly seen in equipment and event rental operations — as well as ways to address them and potentially save thousands of dollars in fines — were discussed on the ARA of Nebraska’s online webinar “OSHA’s at Your Door. Are You Ready?” on Wednesday, March 24, presented by Kevin Gern, ARA director of safety.

“Kevin’s presentation was not only informative and easy to follow, but also truly an eye-opening experience,” says Ryan Kucera, vice president, Rental City, Omaha, Neb., and ARA of Nebraska vice president. 

Gern’s session focused on the warehouse, repair area, showroom and yard, and featured several scenarios involving chemical storage, flammables cabinets, hand/bench grinders and more that could get a business flagged for violations.

“As busy store owner/operators, there are many safety pitfalls we overlook on a day-to-day basis. The topics covered in Kevin’s webinar were a sobering reminder as to the potential result of not addressing these OSHA infractions. I recommend every rental store employee invest the time in educating themselves on this topic. Kevin’s webinar was a great way to do this,” Kucera says. 

“I particularly appreciated the idea of integrating our OSHA preparedness with our overall safety plan — the rules are there to keep everyone safe,” adds Bart Brown, vice president, United Rent-All, Omaha, Neb., and an ARA of Nebraska board member. “There were several suggestions that we will use in the future. It was also good to learn that there is someone on the ARA staff with experience in this area that we can contact if we have any questions.”

Brock Huffstutler

Brock HuffstutlerBrock Huffstutler

Brock Huffstutler is the regional news editor for Rental Management. He writes and edits articles for ARA’s In Your Region quarterly regional newsletters, Rental Management, Rental Pulse and other special projects. Outside of work, he enjoys biking and spending time at the few remaining vintage record stores in the region.

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