United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI), the leading provider of equipment rental services in North America, today announced that its Trench Safety Training Program has exceeded a milestone 100,000 construction workers trained in Confined Space Entry and Excavation Safety for Competent Persons. As part of this achievement, the company’s Trench Safety division trained a record 17,375 workers in 2013 through its classroom training, train the trainer program and online platform.

Brett Sondergard, sales and marketing director, said, “We believe that effective training, combined with the optimal piece of safety equipment or engineered shoring system, creates the best defense against onsite injuries. As the largest trench safety provider in North America, we have dedicated our resources to help our customers achieve accident prevention and regulatory compliance.”

United Rentals has steadily expanded its trench safety training program with resources that help contractors comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements. Over the past two years, the company introduced online training options, launched classroom sessions in Canada, developed a train the trainer program and initiated Spanish-language training in the United States. A new interactive section of the company website, www.unitedrentals.com, allows trainees to locate classes – held monthly at over 70 trench safety branches – and register to attend online.

United Rentals offers a comprehensive range of professional instruction for customers, including operator certification by IVES-certified instructors on aerial equipment, loaders and backhoes, skid-steer loaders, vertical reach forklifts, rough terrain forklifts, and excavators; OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour construction training; confined space entry training; excavation competent person training, and a familiarization course on boom lifts and scissor lifts to meet ANSI requirements. In addition, the company partners with the American Heart Association to offer First Aid and CPR training programs.

About United Rentals

United Rentals, Inc. is the largest equipment rental company in the world. Following the acquisition of National Pump, the company has an integrated network of 876 rental locations in 49 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The company’s approximately 12,200 employees serve construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners and others. The company offers for rent approximately 3,100 classes of equipment for rent with a total original cost of $7.99 billion. United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor’s MidCap 400 Index, the Barron’s 400 Index and the Russell 2000 Index® and is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. Additional information about United Rentals is available at UnitedRentals.com.