Late Harvesting Could Cause
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Be care
ful when entering grain bins this
fall. A trip into the bin to dislodge
some spoiled grain caked against
the walls could be the last thing
you ever do.
Each year, between 25 and 35
people become victims of grain
drowning, a slow suffocation that
occurs when a person is trapped
and buried in grain. But this fall,
there is an even greater risk of the
accidents occurring, said an Ohio
State University Extention associ
ate safety specialist
‘The wet year and late planting
produces a higher risk of grain
drowning in grain bins,” Tim
Lawrence said. “Harvesting high
moisture com, anything greater
than 14 percent increases the
chance of grain bridges or caking
of grain along the sides of bins.”
Grain bridges occur when sever
al inches to a foot of the top layer
of grain spoils and solidifies, pro
ducing a crust, or bridge, on top of
the grain. The danger occurs when
grain is removed from under the
crusted layer, and the bridge
remains intact. Farm workers
checking a bin they think should be
almost empty, but instead looks
full, may walk on the bridge to see
what’s happening. The bridge
breaks and the worker is trapped in
grain.
Workers also can become
trapped when trying to break loose
spoiled grain that is caked along
bin walls. If a worker tries to break
up the caked material by picking at
the bottom of the mound, large
sections of grain could break off
the top and cover the worker
instantly.
However, it is important to
remember that grain drownings
can occur even in bins where no
bridging or caking has occurred.
Loose grain acts like quicksand. It
doesn’t take long for someone to
become trapped, Lawrence warns.
“If you get trapped in grain over
your knees, you’re not going to get
out by yourself,” Lawrence said.
“And 100 often this occurs with the
bin’s auger still running.”
Once trapped Tn flowing grain,
victims are rapidly drawn to the
bottom of the bin where they can
become entangled in the unloading
auger. A person can be completely
submerged in grain in less than
eight seconds, and even faster with
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“During harvest time is a good
chance to warn farmers of this dan
ger,” Lawrence said. “They need
to realize that in situations with
high moisture com, added precau
tions need to be taken to avoid
drowning in grain.”
To reduce the risk of grain
drowning, Ohio State University
Extension offers the following
guidelines:
• A person entering a grain bin
should be fastened to a safety rope
or ham'ess that is tiedtoa point out
side the structure. Two additional
people should be involved one
1,000 Bushels
1919 2,341,870
1920 2,695,085
1921 2,556,924
1922 2,229,496
1923 2,429,551
1924 1,860,112
1925 2,382,288
1926 2,140,207
1927 2,218,189
1928 2,260,990
1929 2,135,038
1930 1,757,297
1931 2,229,903
1932 2,578,685
1933 2,104,725
Facts From NCGA’s ‘The
World Of Corn 1995’
who can see the person inside the
bin and another on the ground who
can assist in lifting the inside
worker to safety, quickly go for aid
and ensure that no one starts the
unloading equipment
• Never enter a bin of flowing
grain. If you drop a grain probe or
shovel, first stop the flow of grain
and take the precautions given
above, then retrieve the lost item.
Remember, no piece of equipment
is worth a human life.
• Don’t enter a bin without
knowing if it has a history of grain
spoilage. This is especially true if
the surface appears crusty; that is
2,a01,412 2,707,913
1,140,734 ■ I
i I I
1,M0,112
1924 1934 1944 1954 1904 19'
~1,146,734
2,001,367
1,258,673
2,349,425
2,300,095
2,341,602
~..2,206,882
~..2,414,445
.2,801,819
.2,668,490
2,801,612
2,577,449
2,916,089
2,108,320
3,307,038
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TMM MIWO
an indication that the grain has
bridged. Always be cautious
before walking on any surface
crust.
* If you believe you must enter a
bin alone and the bin has unloading
equipment, you should lock the
control circuit, tell someone what
you are doing and post a sign on
the control switch informing other
workers that you are in the bin.
Likewise, check each bin before
you begin to unload to be sure that
no one is inside.
• Be careful in any rescue
attempt to avoid being pulled into
3,4*4,253
I
1949 2,946,206
1950 2,764,071
1951 2,628,937
1952 2,980,793
1953 2,881,801
1954 2,707,913
1955 2,872,959
1956 3,075,336
1957 3,045,355
1958 3,356,205
1959 3,824,589
1960 3,906,949
1961 3,597,803
1962 3,606,311
1963 4,019,238
PENNSYLVANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC., INC.
10,11
7,C7:
,130
4,701.402
14 W
'4 !')«■
1964 3,484,253
1965 4,102,887
1966 4,167,608
1967 4,860,372
1968 4,449,542
1969 4,687,057
1970 4,152,243
1971 5,646,260
1972 5,579,832
1973 5,670,712
1974 4,701,402
1975 5,840,757
1976 6,289,169
1977 6,505,041
1978 7,267,°27
the flowing grain and becoming a
second accident victim.
• Install ladders and ropes on the
inside of bins.
In an emergency, farmers who
did not take the above precautions
and find themselves caught in an
emptying grain bin should try to
get to the wall of the bin, and then
continue walking around the
edges. The greatest danger is in the
middle of the bin.
These safety precautions should
be discussed with your family,
employees or fellow workers in
order to avoid the possibility of
grain drownings.
13,030
1979 7,928,139
1980 6,639,396
1981 8,118,650
1982 8,235,101
1983 4,174,251
1984 7,672,130
1985 8,875,453
1986 8,225,764
1987 7,131,300
1988 4,928,681
1989 7,531,953
1990 7,934,028
1991 7,474,765
1992 9,476,698
1993 6,336,470
1994 10,103,030
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