ERA launches new phase of OSH benchmarking project

The European Equipment Rental Association has launched a new phase of its Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) benchmarking project, building on the work already carried out through the ERA OSH Toolbox.

The project was launched on 3 July with the ERA OSH Working Group and will support one of the objectives of ERA’s Strategic Plan 2026-2028: improving safety practices and reducing accidents in the equipment rental industry.

In the new Strategic Plan 2026 – 2028, OSH sits now under the People pillar, which focuses on attracting, recruiting and retaining people in the sector. This reflects the fact that safety is not only a technical or compliance issue. Safer workplaces are essential to making the equipment rental industry more attractive, both for current employees and for the people companies need to recruit in the future.

The new project will extend ERA’s accident benchmarking database to cover the years 2022 to 2026. It will also aim to increase participation to more equipment rental companies, giving the sector a broader basis for comparison and analysis.

Analysis of accident data

The work will include the collection and analysis of accident data from participating companies, a review of the benchmarking parameters, data validation with participants, and the preparation of a final report and presentation.

A summary will also be made available on the ERA OSH webpage.

A key part of the project is the further development of the accident benchmarking tool created during the first phase. The objective is to turn the existing concept into a practical Excel-based tool that companies can use to compare their performance with industry benchmarks. The tool will be tested with participating companies before being made available through ERA.

The project is intended to provide practical safety insights and recommendations for the industry. By helping companies measure their performance, identify trends and compare results, the benchmarking work can support better decision-making and contribute to reducing accidents across the sector.

The project will also look at the future of OSH work within ERA. An online workshop will take place in September to gather input from stakeholders, discuss future priorities and assess whether there is sufficient interest in establishing a longer-term OSH workstream or project from 2027 onwards.

ERA’s first OSH Toolbox was published in February 2025. (Click on image to download from ERA website.)

Progress meeting in December

A progress update meeting is planned in Brussels in December 2026, with the final workshop and project completion scheduled for January 2027.

The project is steered by ERA’s OSH Working Group, with CP-Consulting, represented by Peter Cavada, acting as content lead. The project team will include around seven to ten representatives from equipment rental companies, with ERA providing meeting administration.

If you are a rental company or a rental association interested in joining the Working Group, please contact us at [email protected].

For ERA, the new phase is not only about updating the accident benchmarking database. It is also about giving members a practical tool, strengthening the role of OSH in the sector, and assessing how ERA can support safety work in a more structured way beyond 2026.

The development of a best practice guide for rental customers may follow at a later stage, extending the work beyond equipment rental companies and supporting safer practices across the wider value chain.