In the News - April 2008
Take life-saving safety precautions in grain bins
LITTLE ROCK - In January, Sylvester Jackson, a 21-year employee of the
McAlister's Grain Company in Helena, lost his life after falling inside a grain
elevator. Authorities say Jackson became trapped under the pressure of flowing
soybeans and suffocated before he could be rescued.
Five to seven grain bin accidents, including fatal ones, occur in Arkansas
each year, says Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, extension engineer with the University of
Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
So far in 2008, there have been reports of three deaths related to grain bin
accidents, says Kulkarni. Often, the victims of such accidents were experienced
grain mill workers such as Jackson.
Any time workers or managers enter a grain bin without taking precautions and
working as a team, they're putting their lives in real danger, said Dr. Dennis Gardisser, professor/associate department head Biological & Agricultural
Engineering with the Division of Agriculture.
The danger of grain bin entrapment increases when the grain is flowing.
That's when a person can become covered with grain in less than one minute,
Gardisser said. A review of 197 farm grain bins in North America found that only
a few people have survived entrapment.
Some of the key factors that contribute to suffocation hazards in grain bins
are:
The much larger size of new grain bins, accompanied by their
greater grain handling rates
The tendency of individuals to work alone when monitoring or moving
grain
Lack of communication to determine co-worker location before
starting grain transfer
Lack of a well-communicated and enforced accident response plan
Poor understanding of flowing grain hazards
Gardisser said that walking on top of flowing grain is dangerous for several
reasons. The valve is centered under the bottom of the bin, which starts a
downward flow of grain when the valve is opened or the bottom unloading shaft is
energized. The person's weight on top of the flowing grain speeds up the flow of
grain through the outlet. Their weight also adds velocity to the grain under
their feet, so that they sink quickly and may be completely covered in grain
within 11 seconds.
Unlike water, grain has no buoyant force to keep a person afloat, and
individual grains rub together to create a strong friction force that makes it
difficult to rescue a trapped worker.
Gardisser has several recommendations for reducing the risk of injury or
death when working in grain bins:
Always advise others of your intentions before you enter a bin.
Personally ensure that no one will engage power, activate the shaft, or
load grain into the bin while you are inside.
Work together as a team when entering grain bins.
Make specific accident response plans with employees and anyone,
such as truckers, who frequently work around the facility.
Wear NIOSH-approved dust filtering respirators to protect lungs
from airborne grain dust and microbial spores, which can lead to
permanent lung damage.
Use prearranged arm and hand signals to communicate from the inside
to the outside of the bin.
Ensure that your grain bin has a high-quality interior ladder
Gardisser cautions workers to avoid entering grain bins entirely, unless
there is no other way to manage problems within the bin.
For more information about safe working practices in grain bins, contact your
county extension agent or consult Gardisser's Extension publication FSA 1010,
Suffocation Hazards in Grain Bins, available on the U of A Extension website at:
http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-1010.pdf. The Cooperative
Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
April 11, 2008
By Rebecca Norman
For the Cooperative Extension Service
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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