A new study from Purdue University confirms grain entrapment cases and deaths in the US were up in 2019.
Professor in Purdue University’s Department of Agriculture and Biological Engineering Dr. Bill Field says there were 38 documented grain entrapments across the country, 23 of which were fatal.
Field is also one of the lead authors of Purdue’s annual report on agriculture confined spaces.
Field says the purpose of releasing the annual report is to keep safety in confined spaces top of mind for farmers. He believes though, we may be focusing time and resources on the wrong things to prevent more deaths from happening.
According to Field, 65-70% of the time when a fire department is called to come with the rescue tube for a grain bin entrapment, the person entrapped is already dead. He believes more time and money should be spent focusing on developing a safer system for getting grain out of the bins.
The annual report focuses on all ag confined spaces injuries and deaths, like those from manure pits as well. You can find the report and safety information by doing an internet search for “Purdue Agriculture Confined Spaces.”
