While some tent renters enjoy the benefit of an extended or year long season, much of the country is just now gearing up for tent season. With that in mind, we thought it would be helpful to review the issue of safety and how it relates to your installation crews.

Whether you are a year long, extended season or short season renter, crew safety needs to be at the forefront of every operation, and there is no time like the present to review and implement thorough evaluation and procedure.

Safety starts with each and every member of your tent crew. The more each member of your crew understands what is expected of them, the better your chances will be of operating safe work environments.

Personal Safety: Make sure that every employee working in the field is outfitted with proper gear including gloves, ear protection, safety glasses, steel toed shoes, and hard hats. If you do not provide uniforms or work clothes, confirm that employees aren’t wearing loose fitting clothing. Provide the proper tools to accomplish the work required, and make sure that everyone has been instructed how to operate these tools safely. If your employees perceive that what they are doing is important, the general public in and around the job site will share that perception.

Public Safety: Your crews are responsible for achieving and maintaining a safe work site, both for themselves and for the general public. Be sure that each member of your crew has the proper training and certification for any machinery and vehicles they may be operating. Each state has different regulations regarding use of commercial vehicles and passengers. If a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) is required to operate any of your vehicles, make sure that the drivers have the right class (A, B or C) license to operate that vehicle. Prior to arriving at the work site, confirm that digger’s hotline, dig-safe, Julie etc. has been contacted, and that all underground utilities have been marked. Establish a check list for the crew to utilize when they arrive at the job site which may include: visual confirmation of underground utility inspection, overhead power lines, right of way impediment and any other obstacles that might prevent the job from being completed safely.

When: As you hire new employees, it’s important to give them thorough safety training and procedural guidance. This can be achieved through employee handbooks, video instruction, group instruction or written instruction. Many companies require new hires to answer written questions upon completion of instruction to confirm their comprehension of the provided material. Because many companies lay off employees after the season, and rehire them for the following season, it is a good idea to review safety standards and expectations with those individuals as well. You may want to consider establishing monthly or quarterly meetings or sessions to address seasonal or problematic issues as well. That way, there is a continuing education scenario that keeps safety at the forefront of everyone’s thought process. If you are using temporary labor on a regular basis, or for specific jobs, be sure to take those individuals aside each day and spend some time outlining what they need to be aware of both for their own safety as well as the safety of those around them.

Where: There isn’t any part of your employee’s day where he or she shouldn’t be conscious of safety and their environment. In the warehouse, before they leave for a job site and when they return, employees should be aware of proper storage of equipment, clear access of aisles and passageways, proper loading and unloading of vehicles, safe use of fork lifts and material-handling equipment, proper lifting techniques, including the use of back braces or lifting support belts. General knowledge of first aid, injury and accident protocol, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), use of the eye washing station and incident reports should be standard procedure for each employee.

Before traveling to and from the jobsite, have your drivers perform a ritual vehicle safety inspection. They should also make sure that the truck has been loaded properly, the load is distributed evenly, the vehicle does not exceed weight limits, and their log books are completed and up to date. If there are any weigh stations on the route to their job site, make sure they know if they need to be weighed. Drivers should possess knowledge of basic vehicular accident first aid, have a regulation seat for each passenger and properly secure the vehicle at the job site.

Once at the job site, the crew leader should perform the initial site survey, confirm the utilities survey, assess any overhead or other potential obstructions, supervise the safe unloading of equipment, determine if pedestrian or vehicular egress is being compromised, make sure that proper safety equipment for the tools required is being utilized by the crew and that any use of electrical power meets regulations and code. If applicable, use of safety/caution tape should be employed to keep the general public out of danger. If work on the job site continues after dark, adequate lighting should be used to ensure a safe work environment.

Why: Proper safety training should provide the employer with fewer missed work days, better morale, improved physical well being and greater efficiency of the staff. That will in turn lead to lower insurance costs and fewer workmen’s compensation claims. You should also experience fewer job site interruptions, lower temporary labor costs, increased production and reduced administrative overhead. Other benefits could include less property damage, fewer OSHA fines, reduced opportunity for personal injury and lower legal costs.

How: There are many ways this training can be implemented and utilized. An employee handbook is one of the best means possible to achieve the safety practices and procedures you require. If the employee is made aware of all your requirements and expectations, they will be better able to achieve the goals you set forth for them. Make sure that everyone is aware of any Federal (OSHA), state and local requirements. It should be emphasized that these rules are mandated by regulatory agencies and must be followed to the letter, no exceptions. Other means by which to achieve this include seminars conducted by you or your staff, instruction manuals published by the manufacturers whose equipment you own, on site training by representatives of these manufacturers (contact your Aztec Regional Account Manager to help instruct your crew on proper installation of Aztec products), outside training and consulting by independent specialty firms and coursework that is offered by both the American Rental Association and the Tent Rental Division of the Industrial Fabrics Association International. Incentive programs are an additional way to achieve success. Consider implementing bonus or incentive programs for predetermined periods where there are no lost time accidents or completing jobs on or before a required deadline. Set a goal for your tent installers and reward them with an employee party or outing.

Safety is a topic that needs to be addressed every day within our field of endeavor, no matter how simple or trite it may seem. Proper utilization and practice will result in better-run, more efficient business. By striving to make your place of business as safe as possible, you will contribute to the well being of your staff as well as your clientele and the tent rental industry; and all of that just seems to make good cents.

Posted by Biff Gentsch, National Sales Manager- with contributions by Regional Account Managers Eric Christensen, Mike Haupt, Matt Pare, and Philip Teer