7 Tips For Grain Bin Safety

University of Minnesota Extension

Tuesday, November 9, 2010, West Point, IA

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.

About Merschman Seeds

Merschman Seeds, Inc. is an Iowa based corporation located at 103 Avenue D, West Point, Iowa 52656 and has been in business since 1954 under the direction of the Merschman family. Merschman Seeds, Inc. currently markets, sells, and distributes corn, soybean, wheat, alfalfa, and forage seed to a network of dealers in 7 Midwestern states. You can learn more about Merschman Seeds, Inc. at www.merschmanseeds.com.