BATON ROUGE, LA — As part of an ongoing commitment to safety in the workplace H&E continues to improve its safety record. Overall improvement in 2009 was notable with a 61% reduction of Recordable Incidents. H&E decreased their overall Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) to 1.53, down from 3.44 in 2008. Their TRIR of 1.53 is much better than the national average of 4.7 within their industry. H&E was also able to maintain a strong position with their Experience Modifier Rate (EMR), staying at .80.

H&E Vice-President of Operations, Leonard St. Germain, commented on these results saying, “We are in a challenging business when it comes to safety in the workplace. Succeeding in this area of our business requires constant focus, training and attention. Our safety performance and record are extremely important to us because we value our employees and strive to provide a safe work environment. These are real people, not just numbers, with families that love and depend on them. Our Target Zero Employee Safety Awards Program heightens employee awareness and gives them incentive to be cautious and safe. This program, along with a rigid employee safety training program, is making a difference.”

Brad Barber, COO and Executive Vice-President at H&E explains, “This significant improvement in our safety performance and safety record demonstrates our serious commitment, concern and dedication to the safety of our employees and our customers. Just as we are concerned for our employee’s safety, our customers (i.e. contractors, industrial businesses, mining interests and material handlers) want to be associated with companies that will protect their employees and sustain a safe work environment. We hope that our customers and government regulatory bodies will be very pleased with this outstanding improvement as we pledge our ongoing commitment to safety.”

H&E Equipment Services is one of the largest equipment services companies in the United States with 64 full-service facilities throughout the Mid-West, West Coast, Intermountain, Southwest, Gulf Coast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the United States. The Company is focused on heavy construction and industrial equipment, and rents, sells and provides parts and service support for four core categories of specialized equipment: (1) hi-lift or aerial platform equipment; (2) cranes; (3) earthmoving equipment; and (4) industrial lift trucks. H&E Equipment Services is headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA. H&E is the largest Grove and Manitowoc Crane dealer in the U.S. and one of the largest Komatsu earthmoving dealerships. In addition, they represent Genie, JLG, Terex, Sky Jack, Skytrak, Gehl, Manitex and many other prominent equipment manufacturers.

More information on H&E Equipment Services can be found on their website at www.HE-equipment.com.