Working in or around a grain bin exposes farmers and storage workers to serious and life threatening hazards, including fires and explosions caused by grain bin dust accumulation, suffocation from engulfment and entrapment, and crushing injuries and even amputations from grain handling equipment.

Accidents associated with grain bins are nothing new. According to researchers at Purdue University, more than 900 cases of grain engulfment have been reported with a fatality rate of 62 percent over the past 50 years. In 2014, as of mid-March, two fatalities and at least two serious injuries have resulted across the nation from grain bin mishaps.

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In addition to engulfment, grain bin mishaps also include the risks of exposure to toxic fumigants, potential for unexpected fires and the threat of explosions caused by the build-up of combustible grain dust.

Grain bin safety and the dangers associated with engulfment and entrapment were the central theme of a special Coastal Bend Grain Storage and Handlers Safety Conference at the San Patricio County Fairgrounds Civic Center in Sinton April 23.

Texas AgriLife Extension specialist David Smith, one of the conference presenters, told producers that a growing percentage of engulfment cases come from facilities that are exempt from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.

"One thing we need to be aware of is just how quickly a man can be trapped in flowing grain. As one example, if the auger is moving grain at 68 bushels per minute, with a six foot tall man weighing 165 pounds standing inside the bin, it only takes about five seconds before he gets trapped. After about 25 seconds, he would be completely engulfed," Smith warned.

He said most incidents occur when grain is being moved or transported and someone enters a bin to walk down the moving grain or is buried by falling grain that was bridged to the walls and suddenly collapsed. Smith said moving grain acts like quicksand and can bury a worker in seconds. In addition, grain that is too wet or in poor condition can cause pockets to form and these can collapse beneath a worker as he walks across the grain.

"Once they are stuck, the behavior and weight of the grain make it extremely difficult for a worker to get out of it without assistance. Even with assistance, it can be a monumental undertaking," Smith explained.

Pressure: The heavyweight of grain bins

Safety officials say one foot of grain over an individual provides about 300 pounds of pressure. With two feet or more around the body, it would be extremely difficult to pull yourself out without assistance, and even with assistance there is high probability that it could take a considerable amount of time to free someone engulfed by grain.

Smith says if a 165-pound individual is fully emerged in grain, it would require 900 pounds of lift pressure to pull him out of the grain, and lifting a submerged person can cause additional injuries.

The frequency of grain bin incidents and the growing number of fatalities in recent years, many of them children, fueled industry concerns and garnered the attention of OSHA safety officials. The federal agency sent notification letters to approximately 13,000 grain elevator operators last year warning employers not to allow workers to enter commercial or co-op grain storage facilities without proper equipment, precautions and safety procedures, such as turning off and locking/tagging out all equipment used so that the grain is not being emptied or moving into the bin, and training. 

"Another risk is that grain bins are confined spaces and there is often organic material stored inside that can produce dangerous gases including carbon dioxide, nitric oxide in high concentrations and other toxic gases caused by rotting or infected grains. Also, fumigants used to treat grain bin pests can be the source of dangerous toxins in a bin," Smith adds.     

Exposure to fumigants can cause permanent central nervous system damage, heart and vascular disease, and lung edema as well as cancer. These gases can also result in a worker passing out and falling into the grain and becoming engulfed, often resulting in death by suffocation.

Mechanical hazards

Another cause of injury can be the mechanical equipment within grain storage structures, such as augers and conveyors that present serious entanglement and amputation hazards. Workers can easily get their limbs caught in improperly guarded moving parts that can result in mangling, accidental amputation and in some cases death.

"OSHA issued warning letters to the grain handling industry following a series of incidents including the suffocation of two teenagers in an Illinois grain elevator in 2010, and since then commercial grain storage operations have been targeted for inspections and a number of hefty fines have been issued. So understanding the law, safety education and training, and having the right equipment and procedures in place are critically important if you want to maximize safety and avoid stiff fines," Smith said.

Following a tragic year of fatalities, in 2010 OSHA established rules and procedures for workers entering grain bins and safety procedures that all workers must rigidly follow. According to a U.S. Department of Labor website, a fact sheet entitled Worker Entry Into Grain Storage Bins is available for grain storage operators.

Also, a health information bulletin entitled Combustible Dust in Industry: Preventing and Mitigating the Effects of Fire and Explosions, and a Hazard Alert: Combustible Dust Explosions fact sheet are available.

Know the rules, follow the rules

According to Smith, OSHA requires that for all workers entering storage bins, employers must:

Prevent explosions

OSHA also says to prevent dust explosions and fires, employers must: