In the Agriculture Industry, employees are constantly getting trapped within the grain bins and silos. Many of the employees never make it home. This is due to suffocation, which is the leading cause of death inside grain storage bins. Suffocation can occur in one of two ways.
There are many safety precautions that can be followed to reduce the risk of suffocation withing the bins and silos.
Certain farming operations have been exempting from authoritative safety regulations. Meaning they aren’t in much danger is they choose to not use the precautions listed above.
However the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers has been partnered with the Grain Elevator & Processing Society, in hopes of providing a consensual standard for grain bin entry to prevent injuries and death from entrapments. This effort has mainly been focused on bin manufacturers, and in assisting them in designing bin with tool and safety equipment to assist anyone who enter the bin. Many manufacturers have put in the effort to follow suit. For example, SCAFCO Grain Systems Company offer grain entrapment prevention kits for almost every bin they sell.
For more safety information on this topic, you can visit our Hard Hat Training Series course on Confined Spaces in Agriculture. This course goes into more detailed about entrapment along with other hazards. Good luck out there and stay safe!