Podcast 111: What Makes Customer Safety Training Work?

EPISODE 111: Managing Customer Safety Training

Andrew Martin, Director of Safety Training, Sunbelt Rentals

In the construction world, the consequences of human error can be extremely dangerous and costly. That’s why customer safety training is paramount for companies that supply jobsite equipment.

But how do you prepare people to use heavy machinery when they aren’t your employees?

Andrew Martin understands this challenge all too well. As Director of Safety Training at Sunbelt Rentals, he is responsible for ensuring that everyone who operates equipment from Sunbelt is ready to work safely.

What does it take to manage successful customer safety training? Find out as Andrew and I dig deeper on this episode of the Talented Learning Show…

MANAGING CUSTOMER SAFETY TRAINING — KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Construction is among the riskiest occupations, representing 20% of U.S. workplace fatalities. But research indicates that robust training can reduce accidents by up to 50%. This underscores the importance of educating equipment operators.

• Because construction equipment is expensive, rental demand is soaring. And as one of North America’s largest rental companies, Sunbelt Rentals recognizes that customer safety training adds significant value, so the company invests heavily in program quality.

• Sunbelt’s learning management system plays a central role in its safety training success. The platform provides customers, instructors, and staff with easy access to whatever they need, along with the flexibility to adapt and grow over time.

MANAGING CUSTOMER SAFETY TRAINING — Q&A HIGHLIGHTS

Welcome, Andrew. Why don’t you start by telling us about Sunbelt Rentals?

I’m happy to do that, John. Sunbelt is one of the largest rental companies in North America. Most people associate us with traditional construction equipment like forklifts, aerial lifts, earth-moving machines, and so forth. But we also offer other specialized solutions, including scaffolding, equipment for trench shoring, pump and power, flooring, fencing, and more.

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I see. And what audiences do your training programs serve? Employees? Customers? Both?

Well, we take employee training very seriously, because many of our employees use this equipment each day in the yard and on deliveries. But that training is handled by others in our organization.

My role is exclusively customer-facing. I think of it at the intersection of safety operations and customer experience. In other words, I concentrate on the strategy, development, and delivery of training we bring to market.

It’s really important for us to offer customer training in a standardized way. Because, at the end of the day, Sunbelt is based on a culture of safety.

No doubt…

We say that if we can’t do it safely, then we won’t do it. That may sound cliché, but it is true.

Our goal is to offer reliable, high-quality training across our customer base. We want to touch as many of those lives as we safely and responsibly can. And we do that at a profit. But we don’t take shortcuts.

Our mission is to make the industry safer through high-touch, high-value customer safety training that reduces risk. In other words, we want to do everything we can to provide an experience that will keep people safe at the job site, now and in the future.

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Do you sell directly to individuals who need training? Or do you primarily serve other organizations?

Both. We train DIYers all the time. Say you want to build a pool in your backyard. We’ll rent you an excavator. But it’s our responsibility to ask if you’ve received proper training on how to operate that equipment. If not, we’re happy to connect you with one of our trainers who can help.

But primarily, we partner with companies of all sizes to train their people across the U.S. and Canada. So, we add value by ensuring everyone in an organization receives the same high-quality training wherever they’re located, whether that’s Miami or Dallas or San Diego.

Mmhmm…

Of course, price is often part of the discussion. And Sunbelt is not the cheapest option. But we’re unique because we take a serious interest in the kind of work you do. We ask questions about how you’ll apply our training. Also, we make sure the experience fits your work, instead of rushing you through the basics.

Plenty of others will train you in two hours, but that’s not our approach. Most of our trainers have also worked in the field, so they’re skilled and credible. Credibility is critical.

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Smart approach. So, tell us about your curriculum. Is it all hands-on live training, or online classes, or blended content?

Yes, all of that. The answer comes down to customer preferences.

Everyone has unique circumstances. Which approach is most practical? Compliance, logistics, travel, and other considerations play a role. So, we try to deliver training in as many different formats as we safely can.

That said, instructor-led training is our bread and butter. It probably will always be that way.

People like to look someone in the eye, raise their hand, and ask questions. A classroom setting provides a more personal touch. We’re proud of that. So, we have trainers available in almost every major market.

Nice…

But if you need virtual training for some reason, we support that, as well. So, you can be in Pennsylvania and participate in training with someone here in Charlotte.

And that comes in particularly handy, because people often need training in a hurry. So, if it’s safe, we try to accommodate that kind of request. But if we can’t, we’ll offer another option.

It might be a virtual session where you can get started immediately. Or it could be a blended program with a series of self-paced online modules that include knowledge checks along the way. Then we follow-on with a practical evaluation at your local Sunbelt location or at a customer job site.

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Makes sense…

We want the experience to be as convenient for the customer as possible. So, we strive to remove as much confusion and as many constraints as possible, from the moment a customer expresses interest in training, through every step in the delivery process.

And this means we’re continually re-examining what it means to make the process as easy for our customer base as possible.

Good idea. So, tell me about certification. Do you ask customers to combine content knowledge with the ability to prove they can perform related tasks?

That’s a fair question. I think our mission is like the DMV. In both situations, if everyone passes, we’re not doing our job.

Imagine you’re driving 70-80 miles an hour on the freeway. You don’t want everyone who has visited the DMV to be next to you on the road. That wouldn’t be safe.

Similarly, because we take safety very seriously, we need to do everything we can to train people to a competent level. But when we evaluate any individual, if we decide they shouldn’t be operating a machine out in the wild, we won’t let them pass.

We establish that expectation up front, and most reasonable people get it.

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Right. And does your safety training lead to a certification for a specific job?

This answer is a little tricky, so I want to be careful. We provide a training service. Our training products are OSHA compliant. But only the employer of an equipment operator can actually certify that individual.

We provide a wallet card to people who complete our safety training. You can show it to an OSHA inspector or anyone else as evidence of training. And the card is usually good for a three-year term.

However, your employer must ultimately say, “Yes, I certify you, John, to use this machine on our job site.”

Is your equipment training generic? Or is it brand-specific?

Generally, it’s not tied to a brand. But again, this comes back to customer preference.

Manufacturers usually operate within the same categories and class types. So, typically, it’s not an issue. But if you’re dealing with a particular piece of quirky equipment, we will find out if we can provide training for it. And if we can’t, we’ll connect you with somebody who can.

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So, do you use customer safety training as a competitive advantage to land new clients?

That’s a great question. Yeah, definitely.

A lot of people don’t even know we offer it. That’s one of the things I want to help us overcome.

Safety training is a key component of our core offerings, and we stand behind it. So certainly, if we can position this as a way to reach a company Sunbelt may not already be doing business with and bring them into our scope of services, all the better.

And what does it take to run all this? Tell me about your tech stack. You’ve got an LMS and what else?

Definitely, our LMS is the backbone of the entire organization…

… For complete answers to this and other questions about how to manage customer safety training, listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, on Amazon, or right here on our site.

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