Best Practices to Grain Bin and Silo Safety
By understanding the potential dangers inherent to grain bins and grain silos, workers can follow several steps to help reduce risk of entrapment, injury or death. Entrapment is one of the biggest hazards that workers encounter when working with flowing grain.
- Reduce the risk of entrapment by placing proper warning decals on grain bins or vehicles.
- Limit electrocution hazards and avoid using metal poles, pipes or lines.
- Work outside the bin to break up surface crusts or loosen materials stuck to bin walls.
- Utilize personal fall limiters with a fall arresting device.
- Avoid suffocation hazards - don't enter grain silo or bins during loading or unloading.
- Turn equipment off and follow proper lock-out/tag-out procedures.
- Utilize a buddy system to rescue a fallen worker. Have one person watching the worker inside and have another on standby in the event assistance is needed.
- Properly ventilate the bin before and during work.
Entering grain storage bins is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!
Workers under 16 years old are prohibited from entering grain bins! Moving grain acts like "quicksand" and can bury and suffocate you in seconds!
NEVER stand on moving/flowing grain.
From the time the auger starts, you have 2-3 seconds to react.
In 4-5 seconds you are trapped!
After 22 seconds, you are completely covered.
NEVER stand on or below bridged grain; NEVER stand next to grain accumulated on the side of bins or try to dislodge it.
A dangerous situation created by a previous partial unloading of the bin.
As unloading begins, bridged grain falls into the air space and you are instantly trapped.
Before the grain flow can be stopped, you are covered. In seconds, suffocation occurs.
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