Gainesboro Boosting Ditch Safety For City Employees Through Training

Gainesboro city employees have completed a 10-hour course on safety in trenches.

Aldermen Travis Agee in May recommended the excavation and trench safety training. Agee said city employees do much of their own work on water and sewage issues.

“We hired a safety consultant group locally here to do some OSHA training with our employees, because we had nothing on the books,” Agee said. “They do trench box safety, and it’s been something I have been trying to push for, because we have nothing.”

Agee said the consulting group has also been gathering price estimates to purchase or rent a trench box. Agee said the equipment protects city employees from collapsing ditches.

“I think our best bet is going to be one of the builder boxes where you can set different panels,” Agee said. “Your sewer line is going to be deeper. Water lines are not going to be as deep. By the time you spend the money for two or three different size trench boxes, you can buy that and the panels to add to it.”

With training completed and equipment possibly on the way, Agee said the progress is good.