Death in the Bins
Ugggh.
Headlines like this make me so angry.
Grain bin deaths spiked in 2019; expected to remain high this year
No, I'm not angry at the person that wrote it. I'm angry that these deaths happen and that there's an expectation that they will continue.
So frustrating!
Thirty-nine people died in grain bin accidents last year, up from 27 in 2018, according to Purdue University's Agricultural Safety and Health Program.
The spike related to the quality of the 2019 corn and soybean crop, said Bill Field, an extension safety specialist at Purdue, who heads a team that tracks grain bin accidents annually.
"You can think about it like sand in an hourglass," Field said. "Normally, the sand will flow right through the hourglass. But, if you add a couple drops of water, it will clump up and it won't flow through the hole. The same thing happens with corn."
So, when it's time to empty the bin -- which is done through a small opening at the bottom of the structure -- the grain becomes stuck. That forces farmers or workers to enter the bin and break it up.
(https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/04/09/Grain-bin-deaths-spiked-in-2019-expected-to-remain-high-this-year/4201586364334/)
Catch that last line: "That forces farmers or workers to enter the bin and break it up."
Yes, it may force them to enter the bin, but it does not force them to enter the bin UNSAFELY!
NO ONE -- no matter how tough, experienced or invincible they may consider themselves -- SHOULD EVER ENTER A BIN WITHOUT A PARTNER AND PROPER TIE-OFFS. PERIOD!
Grandfathers are dying.
Fathers are dying.
Sons and uncles and cousins are dying.
Friends and neighbors are dying.
For no reason!!
Come on ag professionals...... please use common sense!
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt
Headlines like this make me so angry.
Grain bin deaths spiked in 2019; expected to remain high this year
No, I'm not angry at the person that wrote it. I'm angry that these deaths happen and that there's an expectation that they will continue.
So frustrating!
Thirty-nine people died in grain bin accidents last year, up from 27 in 2018, according to Purdue University's Agricultural Safety and Health Program.
The spike related to the quality of the 2019 corn and soybean crop, said Bill Field, an extension safety specialist at Purdue, who heads a team that tracks grain bin accidents annually.
"You can think about it like sand in an hourglass," Field said. "Normally, the sand will flow right through the hourglass. But, if you add a couple drops of water, it will clump up and it won't flow through the hole. The same thing happens with corn."
So, when it's time to empty the bin -- which is done through a small opening at the bottom of the structure -- the grain becomes stuck. That forces farmers or workers to enter the bin and break it up.
(https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/04/09/Grain-bin-deaths-spiked-in-2019-expected-to-remain-high-this-year/4201586364334/)
Catch that last line: "That forces farmers or workers to enter the bin and break it up."
Yes, it may force them to enter the bin, but it does not force them to enter the bin UNSAFELY!
NO ONE -- no matter how tough, experienced or invincible they may consider themselves -- SHOULD EVER ENTER A BIN WITHOUT A PARTNER AND PROPER TIE-OFFS. PERIOD!
Grandfathers are dying.
Fathers are dying.
Sons and uncles and cousins are dying.
Friends and neighbors are dying.
For no reason!!
Come on ag professionals...... please use common sense!
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt
