Grain Bin Accident

Grain bins are very dangerous, and time is of the essence when an employee is trapped. Just think if an employee is in a grain bin and there is no one else around….what then?

Three employees operating as MFA Rail Car were removing corn screenings from a bin in Hamilton, Missouri and one of the workers entered the bin to clean, became engulfed when screenings shifted and died. I’ve spoke recently to several clients about rescue services and training in the same environments. It’s unbelievable in our world today that companies fail to recognize the tremendous hazards that grain bins present.

This incident while tragic could have been even more devastating by the loss of more lives. Again, what price to company owners place on their employees? The failure of rescue training took a life and crippled another family.

OSHA fines, will they make an impact? I don’t know. Will this company spend the money and time necessary to ensure that employees entering will have a safe environment with a capable rescue team if needed. A question to be answered at a later date.

What about supervision? Is any member of management accountable for not ensuring safe work practices? As a safety professional I want to see justice for the employee’s family. One life is one life to many.

There were 42 fatal and non-fatal grain entrapment cases documents in 2022, representing a 44.8% increase from the 29 recorded in 2021.

news.nationwide.com/grain-bin-safety-program-provides-crucial-rescue-tools-2024/

It’s an alarming focus nationwide as noted in the below article.

Also, more young workers are dying in grain bins. Its time to ensure we do all we can to protect those working in and around are grain bins.

For more information or assistance with your safety programs, please visit my website at davidaward.com or davidawardsr.com