SE Illinois News

State Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Marion) understands the safety needs when working with grains, as the grain can act like quicksand and can kill someone in seconds. Jacobs recently took to Facebook to remind grain workers of the risks and promote safety regulations that should be imposed.

“A worker standing on moving grain can be trapped within just five seconds and covered in grain in less than half a minute,” Jacobs said on Facebook. “Proper education, training and planning can be life-saving. Make sure you have a safety plan in place if you work in or around grain bins.”

Jacobs included a WGLC news story in his Facebook post that pertained to Illinois OSHA grain safety standards. The report said that anyone in a grain bin should have a body harness and that there should always be a second employee monitoring and ready to get help.

The most common incidents leading to being trapped in grain include when a worker stands on moving or flowing grain from an auger, or grain being moved out of the bin by gravity, the report said. Another way is when a worker stands on or below a grain-bridging situation. The report added that bridging occurs when damp grain clumps and creates an empty space under the unloaded grain which can be dangerous. A worker above or below the bridge is at risk if the bridge collapses. Another situation is if a worker stands next to a pile of grain on the side of the bin and tries to dislodge it. This can cause the grain pile to fall on the worker.

A report by illinois.gov said that the state has promoted a week to focused on grain safety every year since 2017. IL OSHA division chief Erik Kambarian said that silos have the potential to be deadly when a proper safety plan is not in place.

“Proper education, training and planning can be life-saving,” Kambarian said.

In a March 27 report by OSHA, it was reported that the Illinois office recently renewed an alliance with the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois to address grain industry hazards. This involves ungulfment, falls, conveying equipment and combustible dust.

“Alliances like those between OSHA and the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois  address hazards, reduce risks and improve safety and health management systems to help prevent life-altering injuries and fatalities in the highly hazardous grain handling industry," said OSHA's Regional Administrator Bill Donovan in Chicago. "We look forward to our continued partnership and dialog with the Illinois farming community on the unique hazards faced by their workers."