Released April 11, 2008
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- In January, Sylvester Jackson, a 21-year employee of the McAlister's Grain Company in Helena, lost his life after falling inside a grain elevator. Authorities say Jackson became trapped under the pressure of flowing soybeans and suffocated before he could be rescued.
Five to seven grain bin accidents, including fatal ones, occur in Arkansas each year, says Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, extension engineer with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
So far in 2008, there have been reports of three deaths related to grain bin accidents, says Kulkarni. Often, the victims of such accidents were experienced grain mill workers such as Jackson.
Any time workers or managers enter a grain bin without taking precautions and working as a team, they're putting their lives in real danger, said Dr. Dennis Gardisser, professor/associate department head Biological & Agricultural Engineering with the Division of Agriculture.
The danger of grain bin entrapment increases when the grain is flowing. That's when a person can become covered with grain in less than one minute, Gardisser said. A review of 197 farm grain bins in North America found that only a few people have survived entrapment.
Some of the key factors that contribute to suffocation hazards in grain bins are:
- The much larger size of new grain bins, accompanied by their greater grain handling rates
- The tendency of individuals to work alone when monitoring or moving grain
- Lack of communication to determine co-worker location before starting grain transfer
- Lack of a well-communicated and enforced accident response plan
- Poor understanding of flowing grain hazards
Gardisser said that walking on top of flowing grain is dangerous for several reasons. The valve is centered under the bottom of the bin, which starts a downward flow of grain when the valve is opened or the bottom unloading shaft is energized. The person's weight on top of the flowing grain speeds up the flow of grain through the outlet. Their weight also adds velocity to the grain under their feet, so that they sink quickly and may be completely covered in grain within 11 seconds.
Unlike water, grain has no buoyant force to keep a person afloat, and individual grains rub together to create a strong friction force that makes it difficult to rescue a trapped worker.
Gardisser has several recommendations for reducing the risk of injury or death when working in grain bins:
- Always advise others of your intentions before you enter a bin. Personally ensure that no one will engage power, activate the shaft, or load grain into the bin while you are inside.
- Work together as a team when entering grain bins.
- Make specific accident response plans with employees and anyone, such as truckers, who frequently work around the facility.
- Wear NIOSH-approved dust filtering respirators to protect lungs from airborne grain dust and microbial spores, which can lead to permanent lung damage.
- Use prearranged arm and hand signals to communicate from the inside to the outside of the bin.
- Ensure that your grain bin has a high-quality interior ladder
Gardisser cautions workers to avoid entering grain bins entirely, unless there is no other way to manage problems within the bin.
For more information about safe working practices in grain bins, contact your county extension agent or consult Gardisser's Extension publication FSA 1010, Suffocation Hazards in Grain Bins, available on the U of A Extension website at: http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-1010.pdf. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/april2008/0411grainhazard.htm
Contact: Lamar James, (501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207, ljames@uaex.edu
