A financial company and grain coalition partner together as part of National Farm Safety and Health Week. COUNTRY Financial and the Grain Handling Safety Coalition are raising awareness about grain safety risks this week.
?Anyone who enters a storage structure containing grain, or who climbs onto an outdoor grain storage pile is at risk of being entrapped or engulfed,? said Eric Vanasdale, senior loss control representative at COUNTRY Financial.
A few tips are offered below:
Provide regular training. Train workers on grain storage hazards and risks involved with entering a grain storage bin or facility. Training should include recognizing grain quality problems, proper bin entry procedures, use of safety equipment, and emergency response, before allowing access to a bin or storage structure.
Have an emergency rescue plan in place and follow it. The plan should include having cell phones on site and emergency numbers posted for local emergency responders who are trained in bin rescue.
Shut down all grain loading and unloading equipment (turnheads, reclaim conveyors, augers) and lock out the power sources to them. Following lockout/tagout procedures can prevent most significant grain handling related fatalities. If mechanical and pneumatic grain moving equipment cannot be locked out, then do not enter.
Evaluate the atmosphere. Use a gas meter to check for adequate oxygen content in the bin and the presence of toxic gases like carbon monoxide (which can be present if there is combustion or smoldering grain), fumigants, or excessive carbon dioxide. If the air in the bin smells like spoiled or moldy grain, assume there are dangerous bridges or vertical grain walls that can collapse. If grain is out of condition, or the atmosphere conditions cannot be determined, then do not enter.
The theme for National Farm Safety and Health week is ?Putting Farm Safety into Practice.? It runs through Saturday.
