Prevent grain from crusting, chunking to reduce risk of entrapment

Jul 29, 2023

North Dakota had the second-highest number of reported grain bin entrapments across the Upper Midwest in 2020, due to hazardous and wet weather, according to the Purdue Agricultural Confined Space Incident Database report.

The state had five cases of grain entrapment, following 10 in Illinois that year.

But numbers dropped back down in the 2021 harvest season with a return to dry fall conditions. Two confined space cases were reported in 2021, according to the report.

The state has 61 reported agricultural confined space injuries or deaths since 1962, according to PACSID. Iowa has the most cases tracked with 263 historically.

While North Dakota is relatively low in agricultural confined space injuries in the report, compared to states like Minnesota and Iowa, Angela Johnson, farm and ranch safety coordinator for North Dakota State University Extension Service, wants to see that number hit zero.

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Most of the grain harvested in North Dakota is stored for long periods of time in grain bins, which increases the risk of injuries and fatalities associated with grain bin storage. If the grain isn't properly stored, it can start a slew of issues, creating crusts or chunks inside the grain bin.

"The weather in 2020 really helped create this perfect storm in terms of grain that became out of condition, and we were seeing issues with grain bins that warranted producers to make difficult decisions and risk lives," Johnson said.

If those crusts and chunks start to form, harvesters might risk their lives to drop into the grain bin and break them up while the auger is still running. If they make the wrong move or fall through the grain, they could get injured or killed.

So, the best way to avoid such a dangerous situation is to prevent the grain from crusting and chunking in the first place, Johnson said.

It's tantamount that grain is properly dried down to properly store and that the moisture level, humidity and temperature inside the bin is monitored. Steps to address that include aerating the grain to prevent further grain deterioration if it's too wet or starting fan systems to stop the molding process.

That's easier to maintain during a dry season than in a wet year like 2020. But they’re still important to consider in dry years.

It was a dry year in 2021, and 2022 is expected to be a dry season as well, Johnson said.

"If conditions stay on the drier side, growers will be able to harvest their crop and have it properly dried down enough to store at safe moisture content levels. Hopefully, that would mean less grain condition issues," Johnson said. "But it all depends. Planting dates got pushed back significantly this year, so crops out there are at really variable growth stages, so that’ll play on how we store these crops."

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If someone does have to go into the grain bin, the farmer should have a plan in place to address the situation, Johnson said, such as turning off equipment and assembling a team of at least two to three people to work on the situation.

While having a harness system can help, it's not 100% reliable, so harvesters should have a separate plan in place, Johnson emphasized.

"It can't be a spur-of-the-moment idea," Johnson said. "It's a big undertaking and should be strategized."

While grain engulfment is a major concern, Johnson also encourages harvesters to be aware of their surroundings. Slips, trips and falls on equipment from mud, frost or a missed step can cause minor injury to death.

Johnson is planning to start working with area hospitals in the coming years to track the number of agricultural injuries admitted and their causes. Farm and ranch-related injuries and fatalities do not have to be reported, so the numbers reported in the yearly PACSID report are much lower than the reality, Johnson said.

She hopes her effort will help prevent any further harvesting injuries and deaths.

"The summary is a really good resource, but it doesn't paint a full picture of what's happening in the countryside because most farms and ranches in North Dakota aren't required to report them," Johnson said.

For further grain bin safety tips and strategies, view this list of recommendations for the NDSU website.

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