29/05/2013: New grain milling product to promote safety; large number of grain bin entrapments involve children; IGP launches YouTube channel

Penford has unveiled a new simulator designed to promote safe practices in grain milling.

The starch and ethanol processor, with facilities in Cedar Rapids, built a combustible dust simulator in partnership with Iowa State University’s American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers to be used as an instructional tool in Penford’s safety training programme.

"Combustible dust hazards are a part of any grain handling industry", said Chuck Duthler, director of environmental health and safety at Penford.

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More than 60 percent of grain bin engulfment cases occur in facilities that are exempt from occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) regulations. 

A significant number of those exempt cases involve children and the fatality rate of children involved in grain engulfment is a staggering 70 percent. More instances and more fatalities occur from engulfment than from grain bin explosions.

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The Kansas State University International Grains Program recently launched a YouTube channel.

The channel features videos with information about IGP courses covering the areas of feed manufacturing and grain management, grain purchasing and risk management, and flour milling and grain processing.

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English: Logo for the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

New! GFMT article: Controlling explosion risks in hammer mills

The new issue of GFMT starts off with a bang! Kevin Spiess, EMEA sales manager for explosion protection, BS&BSafety Systems, United Kingdom details safety precautions to control explosions in hammer mills.

Grain and feed processed within hammer mills is common fuel for dust explosions due to the nature of its handling and storage. Any time that feed such as grain, meals and flours is handled or moved, the fine organic dusts are at risk of burning and exploding.

A fire or explosion results from ignition of combustible material (dust, gas or vapour) when mixed with oxygen in the air. When this takes place inside a grain silo, process or storage enclosure, the rapid rise in pressure could cause a violent explosion in milliseconds, placing personnel and property at risk.

Just a few burning embers entering a dust collector are enough to trigger a dust explosion. Likewise, combustible material conveyed into a storage silo could become the nucleus of a fire. Sparks or smouldering particles from hammer mill operations may spread from the mill to other more vulnerable equipment. 

Click on the image to read the article in full.

Controlling explosion risks in hammer mills