HERC Rentals

An employee was jacking up a skid steer to place the unit on jack stands. While adjusting the stands, the unit slipped and contacted their right index finger. The employee sustained an amputation of the finger at the first joint.

An employee was maneuvering a scissor lift while walking alongside the unit. The employee's foot was struck by the machine's front tire and he fell to the ground.

On 10/23/2018, at 2:00 PM, an employee was unloading an 80-foot boom from a trailer. The ramp from the trailer was not lowered at the time. He attempted to stop the lift, but the wheels were already at the edge of the trailer, and the momentum of the boom caused the back two wheels to slide off the trailer. When the wheels hit the ground, the boom had a catapult effect that threw the employee up onto the controls. His foot was still in the accelerator shroud, and his body momentum in combination with his foot being held by the shroud caused the tibia and fibula in his lower right leg to break. When the safety harness lanyard engaged and pulled him back into the basket, he landed on his broken leg, causing the bones to break through his skin.

On November 27, 2023, an employee was emptying a 2-inch product line that transports sodium hydroxide liquid from a rail car to a 275-gallon tote tank. The nozzle came out of the tote and sprayed sodium hydroxide onto the employee's face. The employee was hospitalized with chemical burns to their face, mouth, and neck.

An employee was working with sulfuric acid as part of the production process. While transferring the chemical from a large container to a smaller container, it splashed on his body and hand, resulting in a chemical burn.

An employee knelt in wet concrete while performing work as a concrete finisher and sustained a chemical burn to the right shin. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.

An employee was using a 5-gallon bucket to unload acid product from a tank. Residual product leaked into the containment area, causing the employee to sustain first- and second-degree burns to the chest, as well as third-degree burns to the arms.

An employee was transferring an alkaline cleaning chemical from a bulk container into 1-gallon containers. The employee lifted a gallon container by its label tag. The tag broke causing the container to fall approximately 14-18 inches. The container struck the ground and the contents splashed onto the employee causing chemical burns to their eyes.

An employee was pulling a data cable through a ceiling. He fell through the ceiling, landing at ground level. He suffered a laceration to the forehead, a dislocated left little finger, a broken left ring finger, and a laceration to the liver.

On September 16, 2025, an employee was installing and adjusting spotlights on a performance stage that was under construction. While crossing the stage to speak with other contractors, the employee encountered a section of the stage where the elevation changed to a lower level. As the employee stepped down 14 inches to the lower level, his knee locked up and he fell to the stage. He subsequently rolled off the stage and fell approximately 2 to 3 feet to the floor, resulting in a fractured tibial plateau in his right leg.

An employee was delivering a 65-foot boom lift to a rental customer's construction site. The employee set up the ramp truck in the parking lot adjacent to the construction site. He elevated the boom 4-5 feet to clear a temporary fence. While driving the boom lift off the ramp, the wheels slid to the driver's side of the ramp truck, ultimately sliding off the ramp. The boom lift fell off the side of the truck and rolled onto its side. The employee sustained a fractured clavicle, a dislocated shoulder, separated/fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and a fractured left femur. The employee required surgery.

An employee was performing maintenance on a telehandler and installing a carriage lift cylinder. The employee was checking the alignment when the cylinder slipped and partially amputated his left middle finger.

An employee had just serviced a battery and was reinstalling it in a forklift using a battery extractor. The employee was trying to pull the battery out of the battery compartment when the extractor moved, causing the battery to shift on the rollers. The employee's right hand was crushed between the top of the battery and the battery compartment.

An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.

An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.

An employee was inspecting a generator whose radiator was leaking. He slipped, and a fan blade in the generator amputated his thumb and index finger.

An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.

An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.