OSHA expands safety emphasis program to reduce deadly grain bin accidents

November 11, 2024 - Dozens of grain handling accidents occur each year in the US. That is why the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has placed several states under regional emphasis programs over the years to promote worker safety at grain handling facilities.

The latest state to be added to the list is Missouri. The program aims to target high-risk worksites, pushing employers to tackle the root cause of worker injuries and prioritise safety as a core business value. Like other states on the list, Missouri has been the site of grain bin accidents that Todd Underwood, Director of OSHA's Wichita area office, calls unavoidable. Between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2023, OSHA has responded to three death, 13 accidents requiring amputation and 36 hospitalisation in Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri.

Entrapment and engulfment

During harvest time, grain inside a bin can clog up the auger - the rotating screw0lie machinery used to move the grain in and out of the bin. It can also gather in clumps inside the bin, sticking to walls or forming air pockets that hinder transport. When this happens workers can be tempted to ignore the safety rules and enter the bin to move the grain or walk it down. 

However when corn kernels are gathered in a bin they have sand-like properties, making it easy for anyone walking on corn in a bin to either sink into it, or be caught in the flow of corn being loaded by an auger. Once the grain reaches knee level, which can take as little as five seconds, you cannot escape.

A number of accidents

For centuries, corn was harvested and stored while still on the cob, however in the 1960s changes in technology led to corn being removed from the cob before storage, and this is when grain bin accidents began to occur.

At least 55 cases, including 29 fatal and 26 non-fatal, occurred in 2023 across the U.S, according to data from Purdue University. Iowa, Indiana and Illinois had the largest number of documented cases as of 2023.

There were 55 cases of accidents in 2023, 29 of which were fatal, this was a nearly 34% decrease from 83 cases in 2022. The number of grain-related accidents reached a peak in 2010 and has fluctuated at lower numbers ever since.

Safety regulations

Stricter safety regulations and new technology help keep the number of accidents from growing, rather than workers entering a bin, poles and other tools can help workers clean clogs and clumps along with allowing the grain ton dry for as long as possible to avoid deterioration that can encourage clumping and clogging.

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.