January 10, 2023
The second live, hands-on session for the American Rental Association (ARA) Certified Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) Train-the-Trainer program in Region Six was hosted at Rent N Save, Faribault, Minn., Oct. 19.
The ARA Certified MEWP Train-the-Trainer course qualifies graduates to train operators with instruction that satisfies OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requirements and ANSI (American National Standards Institute) A92 standards.
The course includes online self-guided training through RentalU — ARA’s online education platform. Then, students are required to complete a four-five hour live, hands-on training session conducted by an ARA certified master trainer.
Participant Rachel O’Brien, president, J&F Reddy Rents, St. Louis Park, Minn., had a lot to say about the value of the offering.
“The training was fabulous,” O’Brien says. “The online course was thorough and easy to do; the in-person class and hands-on operation solidified the online training.”
O’Brien says the in-person session reiterated the importance of taking the time to do things right. “We are all too busy, but we need to have a safe operation for our staff and customers. This class points out how easy it is to do familiarization and training the correct way and efficiently. This MEWP certification is one of the best perks of being an ARA member. It is accessible to every size rental operation and well worth the time and money,” she says.
O’Brien also comments on how business owners who send staff through the ARA Certified training can gain a competitive edge and demonstrate to staff that they are valued.
“Having certified operators and trainers on my staff will give us a professional edge over our competition. It’s telling my staff that I expect our store to be a safe workplace, that our equipment is safe to use, and that we are looking out for them and our customers. Investing in my staff is telling them I value them and want them to be with my business for a long time. Eventually, I hope to have every team member be a certified operator even though it might not be key to their position. It’s setting high standards for my business,” she says.
“This program is perfect for independent rental stores to complete: it’s cost effective and we don’t have to send people out of state nor have staff gone for days traveling. That is a huge cost savings,” O’Brien says.
You can learn more about and get started with ARA Certified MEWP Train-the-Trainer at ARArental.org/MEWP.
ARA Certified also includes sales and service certification programs for those in the equipment rental industry. Learn more at ARArental.org/Certified.
