Grain bin safety highlighted by Midwest farm bureau

 Posted on July 05, 2013 in Firm News

Midwest farmers are keenly aware of the risks inherent with farming. Safety on farms around equipment from tractors to grain bins to combines and more is a must. The life of every farmer depends upon proper safety procedures and awareness and every farm owner or manager has the responsibility to provide the safest working conditions possible.

As testament to the importance of safety, one local organization is focusing efforts to help reduce accidents related to grain bins. Grain bin explosions or other accidents have a high rate of fatality and to help combat that, the Jasper County Farm Bureau in Indiana is providing special tubes to protect farm workers trapped in a grain bin to local volunteer fire departments. The tubes are part of a more comprehensive grain safety education program designed to help keep local Midwest farmers safe from farm accidents while on the job. 

The special products are known as “Liberty Rescue Tubes” and work by being pushed into the grain bin to shield a trapped worker until emergency personnel or other farm employees can open the bin to release the farmer inside. The ability to gain additional minutes to free a farmer from inside a grain bin can not only reduce any potential injury but literally can mean the difference between life and death for that worker.

Midwest farmers deserve to know that they are safe while on the job, despite the inherent dangers present in farming.  Farm operators have the responsibility to provide the safest working conditions possible for their employees. Any farm employee who has been injured in a farm accident may wish to seek counsel regarding their rights and the laws surrounding workplace safety on a farm.

Source: Network Indiana, “Jasper Co. working to reduce injuries in grain bin accidents,” June 27, 2013