The American Rental Association (ARA) has released the ARA Healthy Work Practices Guide for construction equipment rental companies, part of a new “Clean. Safe. Essential.” program designed to help ARA members continue to ensure a safe rental experience

The American Rental Association (ARA) has released the ARA Healthy Work Practices Guide for construction equipment rental companies — part of a new “Clean. Safe. Essential.” program designed to help ARA members continue to ensure a safe rental experience through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

The ARA Healthy Work Practices Guide provides member stores with consistent, practical guidance on measures to minimize exposure to the coronavirus for customers, staff, vendors, and guests. Based on expertise from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), rental operators and equipment manufacturers, the guide adds to ARA’s ongoing safety efforts.

“Our industry has always been committed to safety — providing contractor partners with safe equipment and the training to use it properly is what ARA members do,” said Tony Conant, ARA CEO. “But 2020 is redefining the word ‘safe.’ ARA is putting tremendous resources and energy into helping rental stores — which are essential to customer success — continue to provide a safe equipment rental experience in our new normal.”

The ARA Healthy Work Practices Guide offers general information about microbes and viruses; personal protective equipment (PPE) considerations; cleaning supplies and equipment needed for social distancing; how to prepare a facility, vehicles, and employees for work; testing employees; cleaning equipment and more.

While the guide is based on medical science and operational expertise, ARA directs rental stores to comply with the latest local/city, state/province, and country laws and government regulations, and to conform with guidance provided by government health agencies. If government guidance is more stringent than what is found in the document, ARA says that stores should follow government guidance.

More elements of the “Clean. Safe. Essential.” program will be rolled out in the weeks ahead as ARA continues to support members and the vitality of the rental industry through the pandemic.