When people think about innovations in the rental industry, they often focus on the obvious: better ways to track equipment, recover damages, or improve ROI. And while tools like Record360 can deliver impressive returns, sometimes over 500%, there’s a deeper change happening.
It’s not just about protecting assets, it’s about protecting people.
A Tragedy That Changed Perspective
For Wayne, the rental industry has always been personal. He grew up working in his parents’ rental store, learning the business long before digital tools were common. But one incident from his teenage years shaped how he views safety in rentals.
A customer had rented a submersible pump. At some point, the electrical cord had been cut and spliced back together, creating a dangerous flaw for any piece of equipment, especially one designed to operate in water. While using it to pump out a pool, the customer entered the water and was electrocuted.
The exact cause was never determined. The repair hadn’t been done at their store, but they couldn’t prove whether the pump had been damaged during a previous rental or altered by the customer. Without documented inspections, they lost the lawsuit that followed.
Insurance covered the settlement, but the lack of proof meant they were left without certainty or closure.
If the Tools Existed Back Then
At the time, all processes were manual—paper forms, handwritten notes, and no visual records. Digital inspection tools like Record360 didn’t exist, and Point of Rental wasn’t part of their operations.
Today, that situation could have been handled differently. With modern technology, the store could have documented the pump’s condition before and after each rental, confirmed inspections were completed, and proven that safety checks were done correctly. This could have prevented a costly lawsuit or, more importantly, saved a life.
“Equipment rental can be dangerous,” Wayne explains. “There’s a lot of gear in a yard that could injure or kill someone. The value of knowing you’ve done everything possible to protect your customers and your company, that’s priceless.”
The Reality: Real Risks, Real Numbers
To underscore the importance of this level of care and documentation, consider these sobering facts from reputable U.S. sources:
- 2023, there were 1,075 deaths in the construction industry—a sector that accounts for 20% of all U.S. worker fatalities—with a fatality rate of 9.6 per 100,000 workers. Source: Procore
- Construction workers faced about 173,200 recorded injuries that year.
Source: Procore
These numbers reflect hazards like falls, electrocutions, being struck by objects, and caught-in or between incidents—all of which training, inspections, and clear documentation can help prevent.
More Than ROI
Recovering costs when customers damage equipment is important. But for Wayne, the real revolution in rental technology is bigger: enabling owners to rest easy, knowing they are doing everything they can to keep people safe.
“Protect your customers, protect your company, and protect your peace of mind,” he says. “That’s the real return on investment.”
