World Grain - September 2011 - 90

GRAINOPERATIONS

Safety is no accident
Grain can be safely loaded and unloaded if three important rules are followed
by Harmon Towne

When you read this headline it probably conjures different images in different people. One person might think of trucks loading and unloading grain. Another might think about ﬁlling or emptying a bin or silo, while another might think of loading barges. But regardless of the task, there are many steps that should be taken to ensure the safety of workers and spectators, as well as the items being loaded and unloaded, is being met. While many facilities operate under government regulations and have many of the operations and safety practices spelled out, some facilities and farmers have no such regulations communicated to them. The one constant in all operations that must be recognized is ﬂowing grain can entrap and kill a person. With this in mind, you must make sure all of your safety guidelines help to prevent workers or any other individuals from becoming trapped in ﬂowing grain. It only takes a matter of seconds to become entrapped. Once trapped, the issue of rescue can — and usually does — become very complicated. The chart on page 92 show how quickly entrapment can occur. The chart shows it only takes 15 seconds at an unload rate of 4,000 bushels per hour to be covered to your shoulders. With the higher grain ﬂows this would occur even quicker. In most cases, it takes less than ﬁve seconds for an individual to be unable to free himself from ﬂowing grain. Needless to say, you would not try to pull someone out without removing the grain from around them ﬁrst. To do so would cause great bodily harm. FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT There are other safety considerations that must be taken while you are loading or unloading grain. While the safety of the individual is most important, safety of the facilities and equipment must also be considered. Let’s review some of the areas and equipment that can be impacted during the operation. Trucks: Most grain is hauled from farms in trucks, and most of the trucks have hopper bottoms. It is possible that
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GSI displays its mobile safety simulator at the 2009 GEAPS Exchange in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. The simulator provides the grain industry with hands-on training on how to deal with a grain engulfment emergency. Photo by Dan Flavin.

some smaller operations may bring the grain to the elevator in hopper-bottom wagons. As the grain is unloading, there’s sure to be dust from the ﬂowing grain. Kevin Jones of CGB Enterprises, Inc. in West Memphis, Arkansas, U.S., said that this is one of their biggest concerns when unloading trucks. Questions to consider are: • What is the policy for your employees and the drivers of the delivery vehicle to ensure that they are not breathing in grain dust? • Do those delivering the grain have children with them? • Have you developed a policy to make sure that children or youth are protected? Children like to play in grain, and every year death and injury to children are reported in situations where they were in the wagon or truck when it was being unloaded. Children should never be allowed in a truck or wagon loaded with the grain during ﬁlling or emptying. Jones also said there are issues to consider regarding the
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World Grain - September 2011

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