U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has issued a proclamation naming Feb. 16-22 as Grain Bin Safety Week.
The purpose of the week is to promote safe work practices and education and awareness of hazards to help reduce the number of accidents associated with grain handling and storage.
In 2018, there were 30 documented grain entrapment cases with half of those entrapped resulting in a fatality. With the number of accidents increasing, Perdue believes efforts need to be increased to provide information to farmers.
“We hope grain operators, farmers and community leaders will join us in expanding knowledge of safe practices not just during National Grain Bin Safety Week but year-round,” Perdue said.
Perdue issued the proclamation after meeting with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, whose father was killed in a grain bin accident.
“I’m grateful for Secretary Perdue’s leadership in highlighting this important issue,” Noem said. “My life changed forever when we lost my dad in a grain bin accident, and while farmers are often in a hurry to get things done, nothing is worth losing a life. This Grain Bin Safety Week, I want to encourage producers to evaluate safety procedures on their farms and ranches. Slow down and be safe. Your family will thank you for it.”
Grain bin accidents have happened on Texas farms, as well.
In 2015, a young man, Paul Chelius, was entrapped in a grain silo.
After the fatal accident, Lamar County Farm Bureau, the local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension office and Chelius’ family and friends raised more than $8,000 to buy rescue tubes and augers for local fire departments.
Not only did the group purchase a rescue tube and auger for the Paris Fire Department, they also hosted a training day, complete with grain safety workshops, discussion on potential dangers working in a grain bin and an outdoor demonstration of how the rescue tube works in a bin.
Click here to read more about Chelius’ story.
Additional grain bin safety information is available from the University of Illinois Extension.