Consider this safety tool when addressing a task or chore.

Here's a simple safety tool to consider before addressing a task or a chore to be done. This could be a good topic to discuss at your next meeting. Each statement can have a specific reference to tasks you do in your operation. My two favorites are; "has anything changed and do I have the right tools?" Let's encourage everyone to just stop and think before they begin. 

Over the last ten years, grain dust explosions have occurred at an average of 10 explosions per year. You might look at that number and think that grain dust explosions aren't something you need to worry about. However, the magnitude of these explosions can be devastating. These explosions can bring down entire operations, causing injuries and even fatalities. But with prevention, grain dust explosions can be avoided.  

Every year, falls from grain bins, silos, and grain dryers cause serious injuries and even fatalities. While less frequent than other kinds of falls in agriculture, the consequences of grain bin falls are usually more severe. Here are important things to be aware of when implementing grain bin safety. 

To understand grain dust explosions, it is helpful to understand the elements that make up the fire triangle and the explosion pentagon. Many people are familiar with the fire triangle of heat, fuel and oxygen. By removing one of the three elements of fire, you can prevent or put a fire out.  OSHA says five elements must be present for a dust explosion to occur.  They are heat, fuel, oxygen, dispersion of dust and confinement. Industry experts sometimes refer to this as the explosion pentagon.  Like fire, if any of the 5 elements are removed, an explosion cannot occur.

Working in confined spaces is an unavoidable part of running many agriculture operations. Whether it be a manure pit, silo, grain bin, fertilizer tank, or another building, the nature of the structure presents a risk of death or significant injury due to suffocation or poisoning. We’ve all heard stories of those who have lost their lives from working inside a confined space – and too often the lives of their rescuers.

Falls account for most injuries in ag operations.  One of the more dangerous fall hazards faced by farmers and agricultural workers is climbing grain bins.  There are many reasons to climb grain bins; opening or closing manhole covers, moving spouts, replacing belts, checking spreader operation, checking the stirrator, checking grain level, checking grain moisture, monitoring grain quality, just to name a few.

Grain bin entrapments are preventable if we follow the right procedures for entering a confined space such as a grain bin. U.S. grain stocks are at an all-time high, we are producing, moving, and storing more grain than anytime in US history.  It stands to reason engulfments, injuries and fatalities may rise if we don’t make a constant commitment to basic safety measures.

Working in confined spaces is an unavoidable part of running many agriculture operations. Whether it be a manure pit, silo, grain bin, fertilizer tank, or another building, the nature of the structure presents a risk of death or significant injury due to suffocation or poisoning. We’ve all heard stories of those who have lost their lives from working inside a confined space – and too often the lives of their rescuers.

Grain bins are a necessary part of many agriculture operations. But they also present one of the most dangerous activities, as well. A worker in a grain bin can become engulfed in less than 3 seconds, unable to get free of flowing grain. They may become completely submerged in less than 6 seconds. That’s all the time it takes for a potentially fatal accident to occur.