.svg)
.svg)
Waylon Wilhite, a shop technician at EquipmentShare’s branch in Springdale, Arkansas, has a ready answer when asked why he’s passionate about jobsite safety. It’s his wife and four children. He never wants them to get a phone call with news that he’s hurt.
So when Wilhite goes about his day as Springdale’s designated Safety Champion, he reminds his co-workers that the cost of carelessness can follow them home.
“If I see someone with no gloves on, ‘I’ll say, ‘Hey, Bob, I’d hate for you to cut your finger and not be able to hold your baby tonight when you get home.’” Wilhite said. “I’m not trying to get anyone in trouble. I’m just trying to get everyone home to their families the same way they came to work.”
EquipmentShare’s No. 1 priority is the safety of its employees, from the office to the shop to the rental yard to the road to the jobsite. To further that mission, EquipmentShare launched its Safety Champion Program in January 2026. It ensures every EquipmentShare branch has a trained, dedicated safety leader who supports the general manager to achieve these goals:
- Build a strong safety culture.
- Reduce workplace injuries and incidents.
- Improve communication about hazards and near-misses.
- Increase participation in safety meetings and training.
- Strengthen accountability between employees, GMs and the Safety team.
- Share safety workload so management is easier to track and execute.
Springdale General Manager Daniel Long said Wilhite had already approached him about taking a leadership role in making the branch safer, so when the Safety Champion Program launched, Wilhite was an obvious choice for the role.
“He understands safety, and he knows how to talk to people,” Long said. “He doesn’t come at them wrong. He comes at them like, ‘I want to help you. This is why we do this.’ We’ve always had a good safety culture, but he’s improved it because he’s a guy in the field who people look up to who is onboard.”
Wilhite leads the discussion at the branch’s weekly safety meeting and teams up with other employees to conduct monthly safety audits. At Wilhite’s suggestion, the branch recently hung a big sign at the entrance to its rental yard saying “PPE Required Beyond This Point” so outside haulers and other visitors understand they can’t step foot on the yard without the correct gear, like high-visibility vests, glasses, gloves and steel-toed boots.
“He’s always thinking, and he’s out there in the shop all day, so he sees things I don’t,” Long said of Wilhite. “He’s really helped me out a bunch to take this to the next level. He wants to make this place safer, because he wants everyone to go home whole.”
— Build your career with a company that prioritizes your safety above all else. Check out our job openings.
