- Little chance of survival if in a bin walking on grain surface when the crust breaks and you plunge into flowing or hot grain
- Have three people involved when you enter a grain bin, and enter with a rope and safety harness
- Never attempt a rescue by going into the grain yourself
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Today's large grain augers can transfer from two to four times as much grain as augers of the past. Your body can become completely submerged in about 8 seconds, leaving you helpless.
Crusted, spoiled and wet grain associated with wet harvest (as well as remaining grain from last year’s wetter harvest) can also contribute to grain bin suffocation. As grain is removed from the bin it can bridge and form a cavity under the crusted surface. There's little chance of survival if you are walking on the surface when the crust breaks and you plunge into flowing or hot grain.
The following are reminders and safety measures to practice while working around grain:
1. Keep children out of grain bins, beds and wagons at all times. Grain flow can cover them before anyone realizes what is happening.
2. Lock out the control circuit before entering a bin, whether or not grain is flowing. Be especially careful around automatic unloading equipment.
3. Have three people involved when you enter a grain bin, and enter with a rope and safety harness. In the case of an accident, it will take two people to lift you out using the equipment.
4. Don’t count on someone outside the bin to hear your shouted instructions. Equipment noise may block out your calls for help.
5. If you become trapped in a bin of flowing grain with nothing to hold onto but you are still able to walk, stay near the outside wall. Keep walking until the bin is empty or grain flow stops. If you are covered by flowing grain, cup your hands over your mouth, and take short breaths until help arrives.
6. If another person becomes submerged in grain, assume he is alive and begin rescue operations immediately. Turn on the fan to move air into the bin. Cut large holes around the bin, approximately 5 ft. up from the base, to empty grain. (If you cut too many holes, the bin may collapse on you.) Use the front-end loader of a tractor, an abrasive saw or an air chisel. A cutting torch is a last resort – it could cause a fire or an explosion from dust and fumigant residue.
7. Never attempt a rescue by going into the grain yourself. Call 911. Your local emergency team has the training and equipment to do the job safely.
For information on the drying, storing and handling of grain, visit the University of Minnesota Extension’s corn production website.
For more information on farm safety, visit the National Agricultural Safety Database website.
