developed by: purdue university agricultural safety … · developed by: purdue university....
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Developed by:Purdue University
Agricultural Safety and Health ProgramDepartment of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
West Lafayette, IN
This material was produced under grant number SH23575SH2 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsements by the U.S. Government.
Define key terms related to emergencies at grain storage and
handling facilities.
Identify general types of potential emergencies at grain storage
and handling facilities
Describe scope of the problem of entrapments, engulfments,
asphyxiations, entanglements, falls, and electrocutions at
grain/feed storage and handling facilities
Identify key contributing factors
Describe the nature and characteristics of free flowing agricultural
materials
Identify the most frequent types of flowing agricultural material
entrapments
Identify trends that may increase the probability of future events.
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Angle of repose
–
the angle that free flowing material in a
pile will form when allowed to be at rest
Asphyxiation
–
death due to a lack of oxygen caused by
insufficient oxygen levels in the atmosphere or due to airway
blockage
Engulfment
– events in which an individual is submerged,
i.e. fully buried in agricultural flowable material, such as
grain or feed
Entanglement – a situation in which the clothing, hair, or
extremities of a person becomes wrapped around or caught
in an energized piece of equipment
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Entrapment
– used in a broader way to describe events in
which an individual is trapped, possibly due to being buried
in free flowing material or entanglement in machinery
where self‐rescue is not possible
Flowable agricultural material –
free flowing agricultural
crops or material including grain, feed, and other processed
grains
Out‐of‐condition grain – grain that has spoiled due to
excessive moisture, heating, or insect damage causing it to
become moldy and crusted.
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Entrapments (partially buried below surface)
Full Engulfments (fully submerged below surface)
Entanglements (augers, shafts, chains)
Asphyxiations (Toxic environments/lack of oxygen)
Falls
Electrocutions
Explosions and fires (dust, spontaneous combustion)
Respiratory/cardiac distress
Crushing injuries (heavy equipment, railroad cars)
Chemical/pesticide exposure (anhydrous ammonia)
Others
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Source of Data
Purdue University’s Agricultural Confined Spaces
Incident Database includes over 40 years of data
summarized from documented cases
Over 1,600 cases involving all types of agricultural
confined spaces (silos, bins, manure storage, grain
transport vehicles)
Over 1,200 cases relate to grain storage and handling
For additional details or up‐to‐date data check out
www.grainsafety.us
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Reliability of Data
No comprehensive source of data exists
There are no requirements to report all incidents, including
those that occur at exempt facilities
Many incidents, especially non‐fatal, go completely
unreported
Documented cases often lack important information
about the cause(s)
Best available data relates to grain entrapment and
engulfment
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Summary of entrapment and engulfment data
An average of 30‐40 incidents have been documented
each year over the past decade
No fewer than 59 entrapments occurred in 2010, the
highest recorded since 1993 when 42 were
documented
Unlike other types of agricultural‐related injuries and
fatalities, the frequency of this type of incident is
showing a slightly increasing trend
Nearly one out of five incidents involved a child or
youth under the age of 21
Primary grain involved was yellow corn
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Entrapments and Engulfments in Grain
Historically, about 70% of documented incidents have
occurred at OSHA exempt facilities (farms and feedlots)
There is a direct relationship between out‐of‐condition
(crusted or free standing) grain (corn) and increased
probability of entrapment
Disproportionate number of children and young workers
involved/less experienced work force
Workers often working alone
The most frequently documented activity at the time of
engulfment was unloading grain from a storage structure
Failure to use lockout/tagout procedures
Longer term storage leading to more spoilage
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Entanglement‐related emergencies
Less than 10% of documented grain/feed handling‐related
emergencies involve an entanglement in energized
equipment such as sweep augers, in‐floor unload augers
or stirators
Unguarded in‐floor augers is the single most frequent
type of equipment involved
Entanglements in augers, especially in‐floor unload
augers, often result in amputations
Removing residual grain with unguarded unloading
augers energized is a frequent cause of entanglement
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Asphyxiation‐related emergencies
Some grain is stored in oxygen‐limiting structures that cannot support life
Spoilage of grain can lead to excessive levels of CO2
(carbon dioxide)
Fires in grain will generate a toxic environment
If unsure – stay out
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Fall‐related emergencies
Falls from grain storage and handling facilities are not
well documented
Due to the height of many facilities (some over 100 feet),
injuries from falls can be severe, and often fatal
Most grain/feed storage facilities lack integral fall‐
protection systems
Some ladders on grain/feed storage facilities may not be
suitable for first‐responder use (low load capacity, too
narrow, insufficient rung depth)
Most current grain storage structures lack adequate
anchor points for fall prevention or confined space entry
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Electrocution‐related Incidents
Little data exists on electrocutions that occur at grain and feed storage and handling facilities
The most frequent cause is contact between a portable grain auger and overhead power lines
The close proximity of storage structures to overhead power
lines is a common problem.
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Situation: Two boys asphyxiated in the top of
the 110 foot silo
Responders:
Law enforcement
EMS
Fire Department (None
were trained to work at
that height)
On‐site workers
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Weight
Moisture content
Bulk density
Angle of repose
Potential for bridging,
crusting, and free standing
Plug vs. funnel flow
Host for toxic biological agents
Generates large amounts of organic and inorganic dusts
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Funnel flow Plug flow
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Small amount of spoiled grain can produce billions of tiny airborne mold spores
Airborne mold spores can be inhaled through nose and mouth irritating sensitive lung tissue
In some cases reactions are so severe that hospitalization is necessary
Toxic gases and oxygen deficiency Farmer in dusty bin
Entrapment in a free flowing column of grain
Bridging/crusted horizontal surface entrapment
Collapse of vertically crusted grain surface (avalanche
entrapment)
Entrapment in free standing pile of material (avalanche
entrapment)
Entrapment in grain transport vehicle
Entrapment due to unintended release of material or
structural failure
Entrapment while using a grain vacuum machine
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Increasing production of grain
Longer term storage of grain increasing potential for spoilage
More storage being built at exempt facilities
Increased rate of grain handling
Increased size of storage structures
Expanded use of grain for energy production
Changing workforce
Increased cost of drying grain
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