Don�t Let Your Grain Bin Kill You

By Greg Brenneman – ISU Extension Ag Engineering Specialist

Because last fall’s harvest was late and much of the grain was wet, there has been more spoiled grain and an increase in grain bin accidents. In just the last couple of weeks, there have been at least 3 accidents in the upper Midwest where workers have been trapped by grain resulting in 2 deaths.

While many of us know that grain entrapments are a dangerous situation, these accidents continue to occur. Flowing grain can trap a farm worker within five seconds. Most adults are helpless when trapped at knee level. The further down the person is buried, the more strength is needed to pull the person out.

Grain entrapment inside a grain bin can happen in three different ways. Submersion in flowing grain occurs because the flowing grain acts like quicksand, pulling a person under within seconds. A grain bridge, due to frozen or spoiled grain, can collapse, causing a person to fall and be buried alive. A third way workers are trapped is the collapse of a vertical grain wall when the grain breaks free and covers a person.

Purdue University information shows over 75% of grain bin accidents occur when grain is being unloaded and nearly half of bin accidents occur with grain that is out of condition. If spoilage problems develop, following are suggestions to safely deal with the situation:

Is the grain bridged? Stop the auger and do not go in the bin. Instead, look for a funnel shape at the surface of the grain mass after some grain has been removed. If the surface of the grain appears to be undisturbed and has not funneled down toward the auger, then it has bridged and there is a cavity under the surface.
Never enter a bin to try and break down grain which has "set up" in a large mass.
Attempt to break up the grain mass either from the top of the bin with a long pole on a rope, or from outside of the bin, through the door, with a long pole. Entering the bin to do this work can cost you your life!
Expect, and be prepared for, the grain mass to break free at any time and to cascade down.
Prevent grain from "setting up" in the bin by storing grain in good condition and avoiding spoilage which leads to this problem.

The easiest way to reduce the risk of grain entrapment is prevention. Also, never work alone when unloading or dealing with grain bin problems.

Opinion : Don�t Let Your Grain Bin Kill You

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