Pictured: The American Augers DD-110 horizontal directional drill will be on display at bauma Africa 2013. Osborn can be found at stand D.10 in the outdoor area at bauma Africa, which takes place at Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg, from September 18 to 21.

With horizontal directional drills increasingly being used in built-up environments, safety aspects – for both operators and the general public – are becoming a top priority.

Elandsfontein-based Osborn, which is the official OEM supplier in southern Africa of horizontal directional drills (HDDs) manufactured in the USA by Toro and American Augers, recently joined forces with Terrawood, a specialist supplier of HDD tooling products and HDD courses to the southern African market, to run a HDD Management Course in Johannesburg. “Health and safety aspects of HDDs formed an important part of the programme,” explains product sales manager Peet Venter.

“The course also had several other objectives – including enabling candidates to understand the basic principles associated with horizontal directional drilling, the various methods used for the location of underground equipment and the regulations and operation guidelines relating to horizontal directional drilling. In addition, we aimed to equip trainees with the knowledge to identify different types of equipment available and different types of drilling fluid used, as well as teaching them how to develop a drill path profile in accordance with selected equipment,” Venter adds.

The training took place over two days, at Osborn’s Elandsfontein manufacturing facility. Trainees had the opportunity to view Osborn’s HDD range during a factory tour.

After the two-day training programme, the candidates wrote an exam that is marked in the United Kingdom, and will give them an internationally-recognised City & Guilds qualification. “It will certainly be a feather in the cap of successful candidates, since City & Guilds is a world leading vocational education organisation,” Venter concludes.