Stay safe on the farm: Grain bin safety reminders

Apr 21, 2020 at 09:29 AM CST
The week of April was 13-17 was Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week. This time of year is the perfect time to refresh our memories with grain bin safety tips, plus after harvesting a lot of wet grain last year, it is especially important to be cautious. There is no shortage of sad grain bin-related tragedies. Nearly two dozen people are killed each year in the U.S. in grain entrapment incidents. Flowing grain is dangerous, and behaves like quicksand. In just 20 seconds, an adult can be completely buried. The pressure of the grain usually hinders self-escape, and can make assisted escape nearly impossible. A person buried to the waist in grain requires a force equivalent to their own body weight plus 600 pounds to free them.

Apr 21, 2020 at 09:29 AM CST

The week of April was 13-17 was Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week. This time of year is the perfect time to refresh our memories with grain bin safety tips, plus after harvesting a lot of wet grain last year, it is especially important to be cautious. There is no shortage of sad grain bin-related tragedies. Nearly two dozen people are killed each year in the U.S. in grain entrapment incidents. Flowing grain is dangerous, and behaves like quicksand. In just 20 seconds, an adult can be completely buried. The pressure of the grain usually hinders self-escape, and can make assisted escape nearly impossible. A person buried to the waist in grain requires a force equivalent to their own body weight plus 600 pounds to free them.