Handling grain in a grain bin begins with having the proper equipment – but there is a lot more to it than that.
Angie Johnson, NDSU Extension agent and farm and ranch safety program coordinator, from Galesburg, N.D., on the edge of the Red River Valley, grew up around grain bins and knows how to handle herself and others around them.
At NDSU’s Dickinson Research Extension Center field day, Taylor Downing, Stark/Billings Extension intern, assisted Johnson in grain bin accident prevention demonstrations. They brought along Woody, the cartoon character from Toy Story, who was sent sinking into corn in a simulation of a farming accident.
“I want to be able to prevent an accident before you enter that grain bin,” Johnson said.
Johnson wants to be able to show and tell farmers how to be safe before entering a grain bin rather than to have to hear about accidents because of unsafe grain bin practices.
“The number one most dangerous profession is farming and ranching. Each of you has probably had some farm- or ranch-related incident or tragedy that has made an impact on your life,” she said.
Johnson pointed out there were no formal requirements to report accidents, but thanks to a research project with Sanford Health, Johnson is now hearing that those that survive a grain bin injury had the incident due to “slips, trips, and falls” when it comes to grain bin handling systems.
Grain bins need special thought before entering – and special equipment.
“A lot of the incidents you hear about involve grain entrapment,” Johnson said.
During the demonstration, Downing put on safety gear that would help her when she entered a grain bin.
“Whenever we deal with slips, trips, and falls, a lot of times the safety features on our grain bins don’t come with the bin when you buy it. It is an add-on feature,” she said.
Whenever a farmer “adds on steel” to his grain bin, especially in the current markets, the prices “go through the roof,” she added.
The best and safest grain bins to purchase are the bins with a spiral staircase system, but they are very expensive. Most go with the straight, fixed-ladder system, as it costs less.
“I am not saying that is a bad thing. However, ladders have their own risks, especially when we are going 30-50 feet in the air,” Johnson said.
Downing demonstrated how to wear a Class III harness. Any harness a farmer buys should fit them individually.
“When we talk about a Class III harness, they should cover your body in three different areas: the chest, the waist, and lower legs (thigh protection). I really promote these Class III harnesses because you have a clasp that connects to your lifeline that is attached,” Johnson said.
If Downing were to fall in the grain bin, she would be braced in three different spots.
“If you only have a harness system protecting the waist and below – the lower body – and you fall and someone finds you and rescues you, you will have serious issues with blood clots. The fall may not hurt you, although it is painful, but it’s after the fact you have to watch out for,” she said.
Once a farmer is connected to their lifeline, as they climb the bin, they can maintain three points on the ladder. Their right hand is on a rung and their right and left foot are on other rungs.
The ladder may be slippery on the bottom, and if they fall, the harness will hold them in those three areas.
“You can’t prevent a fall from happening, but you can prevent falling all the way to the ground. You won’t fall any further than the lifeline that is provided with the harness,” Johnson said.
Johnson points out that she enjoys reading about safety features. She makes sure the safety features are regulated and that they are meant to help the farmers they serve.
“This Class III harness has been OSHA tested and approved,” she said.
Johnson said there was a grain bin entrapment fatality a few months ago. In talking to community members, they pointed out the farmer had a harness on, but that was only one part of the plan.
“Having it fitted properly to your own body and knowing how to use it is important,” she said, adding farmers also need a plan about getting in and out of the grain bin. “It is also important to establish an anchor point, and unfortunately, a lot of grain bins don’t allow for an anchor point.”
The other safety part is to make sure the second person, the spotter, who is up on top the bin watching, does not give out too much slack on the line. Too much slack can be fatal in the grain.
“Once that engulfment happened, because it can happen in seconds, that person was not able to be pulled back up. What happens is that gravity takes over once Woody is going down into the grain. If Woody is a 220-pound man, it is going to take more than 300-400 pounds of force to pull Woody out of that bin,” Johnson said. “With that amount of force, Woody would be pulled apart.”
Another positive program to help with grain bins or augers or other equipment on the farm/ranch is “Lock Out, Tag Out,” which allows you to take ownership in the operation of your equipment.
“It is a really powerful tool,” Johnson said. There are lots of power and electrical outlets to run such things as a grain sweeper on the floor of a grain bin or operate grain augers to move grain from one bin to another bin.
It gives farmers the power to shut things down by operating a lock with a key or a tag in case of a problem. It can show awareness that something has been shut down and that it is not safe to turn it back on until the original farmer has taken his lock or tag off.
“This is a really good tool to help prevent equipment malfunction,” Johnson said.
NDSU has not had a safety coordinator for several years. While they tried to get funding from the State Legislature, it didn’t happen until COVID added stressors on top of farm accidents. In 2021, the Legislature approved $240,000 per biennium, or $120,000 operating support per year for Extension Service safety programs, which will cover salaries, benefits, and all the operating support Johnson needs for her research and education.
