Posted on October, 4, 2024 at 03:30 am
Two people were recently killed after being trapped in a farm silo near Volga, adding to a number of grain and forage handling tragedies on farms across the region.
According to a Brookings County Sheriff's Office social media post, the individuals died Sept. 7 while repairing the roof of an 80-foot Harvestore silo that was nearly full. The Brookings County sheriff and local emergency services responded to the scene at 11:25 a.m. Upon arrival, they found both individuals had become entrapped inside and were believed to have been overtaken by toxic gas.
The individuals were identified as Larry Dalzell, 51, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Randi Vandekieft, 41, of Warner Robins, Georgia, who were both working for Heartland Tank Inc. Both individuals were extricated from the silo and seen by medical personnel, who were able to determine both were deceased. The Brookings County Sheriff’s Office said it is continuing to investigate the incident.
According to the 2023 Summary of U.S. Agricultural Confined Space-related Injuries and Fatalities, there were 29 fatal cases and 26 non-fatal cases involving agricultural confined spaces in the United States. This represents a 33.7% decrease from the 83 cases documented in 2022.
John Keimig, youth safety field specialist for SDSU Extension, said it is best to avoid entering a silo after filling it with grain or forage, as this is when the structure is at its most dangerous while the fermentation process is happening.
“It's creating gases within 24 to 48 hours to level it, and then you should stay out of it for the next four to six weeks, because during that time is when these gases are being created,” he said.
According to Keimig, these gases can include nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide, which can be fatal when inhaled. It is recommended that when a silo is opened for the first time after being filled, to run the silage blower for 20-30 minutes and wear a dust mask or respirator before entering the confined space.
Keimig also said silo structures are becoming a lesser-used storage option on farms due to the efficiency and safety of building silage piles on the ground.
“It's easier to build a pile, a little safer, a little more effective, and a little less time-consuming. If you think about it, when you fill a silo, you have to have a blower,” Keimig said. “Once you've cut a load of silage, you have to take it back to the silo and put it in the blower, and those blowers don't handle quantities extremely quickly.”
Although bunkers or piles may be a safer option when storing silage, precautions should also still be taken when opening either of them for the first time as they are also tightly sealed and gases can concentrate under the tarps, according to SDSU Extension.
As is the case with farm silos, working with grain bins also calls for safety precautions.
Angie Johnson, farm and ranch safety coordinator for NDSU Extension, said the best prevention for grain bin accidents is having quality grain going into the bin from the beginning.
“If grain gets moldy and out of condition, that can be a really key ingredient in a recipe for disaster to create some of these chunking and bridging types of situations in a bin,” she said. “Getting it cleaned before you put it in the bin for storage, that's going to be a huge preventative measure as well.”
Johnson said it is also important to monitor stored grain to prevent a situation where someone must enter the bin to handle the grain.
“I like to tell producers, putting grain in a bin is not like fine wine. It doesn't get better with time,” she said. “If you've got temperature probes and sensors and you notice some temperatures are starting to increase in your bin, if moisture levels are increasing when you take samples, signaling to you that there's something going on in this bin and it's time to get that grain called out, it's got to move because it's not going to get better with time sitting in that bin.”
While all precautions can be followed, there may still be a time when someone needs to enter the bin. When that happens, Johnson recommends having a plan in place ahead of time.
“We never, ever want any human being entering that grain bin without really sitting down and sitting down with at least another person to figure out what this plan looks like,” Johnson said. “What can I do to get that crust or to get those chunks to break without ever going in the bin first? And then if I do decide that I have to go in the bin, what is my plan? What is my strategy?”
When entering a bin, Johnson recommends at least one person to be outside the bin and to be able to hear the individual inside the bin. Station one individual on top of the bin who can always see the person in the bin. This individual can react quickly if something goes wrong. If a third person is on the ground, that person can call 911 and get help.
It is also important for the person entering the bin to be wearing a safety harness to prevent a fall.
“When you're going to be climbing that bin, make sure you've got proper fall protection and that your ladder system or your staircase system is current and not slippery,” Johnson said.
Other precautions that can help mitigate the risk of an accident occurring include running the aeration system prior to entering and opening the top of the bin for at least an hour to help remove any toxic gas levels. It is also recommended to tag out and lock out all grain handling equipment to help prevent accidental operation of the equipment while working inside.
Johnson mentioned that while there are some tools and resources available to help prevent grain bin-related accidents, accidents still happen.
“We just really don't have the technology caught up yet to figure out if we do get in those situations, what do we have farmers do,” she said. “We're working on it. The problem is we just don't have solutions yet. But, that doesn't mean there aren't some good techniques that we can't help producers practice.”
Source: In Forum