A24-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 12, 1993
Filling Silos A Dangerous Job
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre person should watch from the said. “To prevent getting snagged.
Co) - Few farm operations are blower pipe platform, signaling if wear but close-fitting
as dangerous as filling a silo, said prolems arise. Never enter the silo clothing and keep i ong hair up
a farm safety expert in Penn while the unloader is being raised or under a hat”
State’s College of Agricultural or try to crawl out onto it after it Never enter a self-unloading
„ .. suspended. An unloader can easily wagon or inm an unS
This complex task combines crush you if it falls.” chute to speed the unloading rate
raising heavy equipment and Moving machine parts pose the while the machine is running. “If
working in close quarters with greatest risk during silo filling. j t gets clogged, disengage the PTO
powered machinery, extremely Both self-unloading forage and stop the tractor.” Murphy
loud noise and deadly silo gases, wagons and silo blowers are oper- “PTOs can accidently slip
said Dr. Dennis Murphy, profes- a ted by power takeoff (PTO) into geaf) so always stop lhe
sor of agricultural engineering. It shafts that often aren t properly engine. Keep the unloading
sounds like a potential disaster, guarded. wagon’s emergency shut-off
but knowing how to handle these “A PTO rotates at 9or 16 times device in good working condition,
hazards will let you fill your silo per second at full speed.” Murphy It save your life ••
safely. sa id. “No one can react fast As forage moves from the
• r ®P arat . ,o . n f° u r Sl *° filling enough to pull away once caught wagon into the silo blower hopper,
includes raising the unloader to in the revolving shaft. Stepping it’s carried by an auger or convey
the top of the structure. Do this over PTO shafts makes accidents 0 r to the blower fan, which forces
on a calm, dry day to reduce the much more likely. Walk around it into the silo. “Silo blower opera
nsk of slips and falls, Murphy tractors and wagons instead.” tors need to watch out for the PTO
said Make sure all cables, wires. Unloading wagons have a com- shaft the expo sed conveyor or
pulleys, and connections are bination of moving aprons, bea- auger and Wower fan blades,”
anchored and working properly ters, conveyors, or augers, and an
before you start. assortment of chains and sprock
“One person at ground level ets. “Keep all protective machin
should raise the unloader. Another ery shields in place,” Murphy
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Murphy said.
Blower accidents are most like
ly when the machine plugs up. “If
this happens, don’t climb onto the
hopper or try to force forage into
the blower blades.” Murphy said.
“Turn off the blower, cut the pow
er, and make sure the fan blades
have stopped turning before you
try to clear the machine.”
Also be sure to securely fasten
the silo blower to the tractor draw
bar. Otherwise, the PTO could
separate or vibrations could make
the blower pipe fall.
Machinery is not the only dan
ger associated with silo filling.
“Silo gases can cause uncon
sciousness, injury and even death,
especially in the first 48 to 60
hours after filling,” Murphy said.
“If you must enter the silo during
this time, wear a self-contained
breathing apparatus. If you don’t
have one, stay out of the silo.”
Dangergous levels of silo gas
may persist for two to three weeks
after filling. “Before entering
without a self-contained breathing
apparatus, use the blower to venti
late the silo,” Murphy said. “Open
all doors, run the blower fan for 20
minutes, and leave it running
while you’re in the silo. Enter only
after you have put on a respirator
for toxic dust and have a second
person standing by to assist in an
emergency.”
Silo blowers, unloading
wagons, and the tractors that pow
er them are loud enough to cause
noise-induced hearing loss.
“When all of these machines are
operated together, the hazard
increases,” Murphy said. "Work
ers should wear hearing
protection.”
Children often think silo-filling
time is fun, without knowing the
danger. They may want to climb
on wagons and tractors or help.
“Keep children and other bystan
ders out of the area and allow only
those persons necessary to partici
pate in filling the silo,” Murphy
said.