(NAFB) Agriculture continues to rank among the nation’s most dangerous industries. A new report from Purdue University shows at least 48 grain entrapment cases were reported last year, including 22 deaths. While those numbers have improved from past years, researchers say the danger inside grain bins remains very real. Bill Field, a longtime farm safety expert with Purdue, says the numbers only tell part of the story.
“There was a lot of effort invested into trying to reduce this problem from occurring, everything from improving grain quality so farmers don’t have to get in bins to new grain bin safety standards to new signage, and I think it’s all having an impact but, boy, every year we still have 20, 30 of these incidents occurring. And about 60% of them die as a result of suffocation.”
Field says tracking these incidents is challenging because there is no single national reporting system. Purdue relies on media reports, word of mouth, and even obituaries to build its database. But beyond the numbers, he says communities need to have realistic conversations about what happens when someone becomes trapped.
“The reality is, about 60% of the victims of entrapment are dead by the time the fire department gets there.”
Field is not discounting the importance of rescue training. In fact, he helped develop the first commercial grain rescue tube and has trained thousands of emergency responders. But he says the industry may have focused too much on the rescue after an accident happens, rather than preventing the accident in the first place.
“We have distributed thousands of grain rescue tubes all over the United States, including in the counties where there are no grain bins.”
Field says the most effective rescue is the one that never has to happen. That means keeping grain in good condition, avoiding entry into bins whenever possible, and never going inside alone. He says rescue equipment and trained responders still play an important role, but prevention remains the best tool farmers have to save lives.
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Audio provided by Steve White, KRVN/Rural Radio Network, Lexington, Nebraska
Audio with Bill Field, Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University
