Having just come off of Grain Bin Safety Awareness Week, it is important to highlight the dangers that are involved in agriculture day in and day out. Since 2014, Nationwide Insurance has collaborated with agricultural professionals to host Grain Bin Safety Week, an annual event held the third full week of February. Grain Bin Safety Week raises awareness about the dangers of working in and around grain bins and highlights the importance of both safety practices and rescue training for first responders. Agriculture consistently ranks in the top ten most dangerous professions in the United States, due in part to the fatalities that occur inside of grain bins. We have all seen the round steel structures along the road and towering above small towns in the Midwest, but why are they so dangerous?
Grain bins have long been a tool for farmers to store grain for weeks, months, and even years, allowing them to wait until the right time to sell. The commodity markets not only follow a “random walk” through time, but additionally face seasonal swings that are expected year after year. One example of this is in the fall, as grain comes out of the field and elevators get overloaded with grain, the price paid at local markets to farmers dips significantly. Grain bin storage space allows farmers to haul grain at more financially advantageous times of year, as well as reducing the workload in the fall by allowing harvesting farmers to haul to a central location on the farm, as opposed to elevators that may be much farther from the field. Built with vented floors and fans on the outside, grain bins are metal storage units holding anywhere from just a few thousand bushels of grain to hundreds of thousands of bushels in some of the largest bins. With the weight of corn being around 56 pounds per bushel and soybeans around 60 pounds per bushel, it is not hard to image how much weight is contained in those small areas.
There are a number of dangers around grain bins including entrapment in the grain, which is the most common cause of accidents, and also entanglement within the augers and equipment used to move the grain, poisoning from toxic fumes emitted by molds, falls from heights, and fires. Suffocation is the most common cause of death stemming from both entrapment within the grain and from trapped gases that can overwhelm an individual. Between 2017 and 2021, the U.S. averaged 31 grain bin accidents per year, which may not seem like many, however it is a significant amount given that there are relatively few people nationwide who routinely work on or in grain bins.
Safety protocols have improved dramatically in recent decades. Still, many farmers unfortunately have known someone in their career who has either been involved in an accident or even killed in a grain bin. Menard County Farm Bureau President at the time, Brian Satorius, was tragically killed in 2021 in a grain bin entrapment accident. His passing has served as a reminder to many area farmers that the utmost precautions must be taken when working in grain bins, including utilizing a spotter when they must go in, utilizing a harness when coming in from the top, and wearing respirators when toxins may be present in the bin. Many farms and elevators utilize online safety courses in grain handling to educate new employees about the dangers that may be present, as well as what to do in the event of an accident. Coming soon, March 24-28, 2025, is Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week, a week focusing on identifying hazards associated with grain handling and reinforcing safety measures. Interested individuals can register for free virtual events at www.standup4grainsafety.org.
Many rural fire departments have a grain rescue tube to be able to save anyone who may be engulfed in grain. This metal tube goes around the victim, allowing rescuers to vacuum the grain that is directly around them and remove them from the bin. In connection with Grain Bin Safety Week, from now until April 1, 2025, Nationwide is accepting nominations of local fire departments to award grain rescue tubes and hands-on training to help first responders save lives. Nominations can be made at www.nationwide.com/lc/resources/farm-and-agribusiness/articles/grain-bin-safety-week.
Technologies for preventing accidents and techniques for maintaining bins continue to evolve, but these storage units for grain will likely remain a dangerous place to work into the future. It is important for farmers, elevator employees, their loved ones, and their communities to educate themselves on the dangers of grain bins, precautions that can be taken to prevent accidents, and what to do in the event of an emergency. While a great tool for improving harvesting efficiency and managing sales of grain throughout the year, grain bins and the dangers they present must be acknowledged.
The link below provides further information from OSHA on the dangers involved in grain handling as well as how to mitigate risk within the bins;