How Grain Quality and Safety Intersect. Nick Friant Greg Rowe

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2 How Grain Quality and Safety Intersect Nick Friant Greg Rowe 2

3 Grain Entrapment Facts Suffocation from entrapment is the leading cause of death in grain bins The primary cause leading to entrapment was entering a bin to loosen crusted, spoiled, or frozen grain while unloading equipment was running Over half of the engulfment incidents resulted in fatalities 69% of entrapments occurred on the farm while 31% occurred at commercial facilities 3

4 Issues Caused by Grain Degradation Bridging Cliffing Rat holing Reclaim blockage Structure and wall issues 4

5 Bridging Grain Issue: a crust is formed across the top of the grain forming a bridge while a void develops underneath Causes: poor quality, heat, frozen grain, etc Safety: if a worker walks on top of the bridge it can break causing them to fall into the void. There is a slim chance of survival in this situation. Picture courtesy of Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health 5

6 Bridging Grain Best Practice: Bridged grain can be a serious problem to correct dependent on thickness of the crust and the size of the bin. A well developed plan is essential to safely remove the crust. Every attempt should be made to work from outside the structure. Also rescue teams should be trained and in place. Picture courtesy of University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture 6

7 Cliffing Grain Issue: Poor grain quality in just one area of the bin can cause a wall to form while unloading. Causes: infestation, hot spots, high FM concentrations, high moistures, etc. Safety: Workers can become buried when the wall of grain breaks loose causing an avalanche of grain to fall onto the worker and bury them. Picture courtesy of OSHA 7

8 Cliffing Grain Best practice: since these walls can break loose at any point its best to work from a safe distance or outside the bin structure to knock the wall down. Picture courtesy of farmprogress.com 8

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10 Reclaim Blockage Issue: Reclaims can become blocked for many reasons, mostly caused by a large mass of clumped grain that is pulled over the sump hole Causes: Roof leaks, open hatches and covers, broken crusts, high moistures can lead to a blocked reclaim Safety: workers can be pulled into flowing grain and become buried Best Practice: Workers should never try to dislodge a blocked reclaim form inside the bin while equipment is running. Picture courtesy of Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health 10

11 Rat Holing Picture courtesy of Carman Industries Issue: Tunnels formed in the grain mass while reclaiming the grain. Causes: High FM concentrations, high moistures, out of condition grain, etc Safety: Rat holes can lead to voids under the surface of the grain. Also similar to cliffing rat holes can lead to avalanches. Best Practice: Never enter the bin to remedy rat holes. Bin whips can be effective tools to combat rat holes. 11

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13 Structure Issues from Poor Quality Issue: out of condition grain sticks to the walls of the bin trapping moisture against the steel walls Causes: high moistures, out of condition grain, etc Safety: Corrosion on bin walls and structures can lead to failure of the structure over time. Best Practice: inspect structures often, when corrosion or other issues occurs repair it before filling the bin again. 13

14 Grain Degradation Prevention Proper cleaning Temperature controls CO2 levels Visual inspection Safety measures 14

15 Proper Bin Prep and Cleaning Inspection and repairs of the bin before filling can reduce the chances of grain spoilage Leaks in the roof and sides are commonly found on bolted bins Inspection of air ducts are vital to proper aeration of the grain to reduce hot spots Air ducts full of water, causing moisture to enter grain Air holes are fully plugged not allowing air to enter the grain1m7 ass

16 Temperature Controls and other sensors Temperature systems have been used for decades to monitor grain. Systems can be very basic or complex New advances have added moisture and level monitoring to cables. Hot spot developing to the left center of the bin early indicators are showing in other spots 18

17 CO2 Levels in grain CO2 can be an indicator of the beginning stages of spoilage or infestations. Elevated levels above ambient can indicate a problem Samples taken at fan exhaust points or in heads spaces prove to be effective at capturing accurate CO2 levels of the grain mass Pictures courtesy of GSI Group 19

18 Visual Inspection of Quality Look for color changes on the surface of the grain. High condensation in the head space of the bin Leakage coming from the seams of the bin (black usually) Smells of rotten or sweet grain in or around the bin Grain not unloading like normal, plugs often. 18

19 Safety Steps for a Positive Outcome Develop a solid plan before any work starts, consult a safety professional if needed. Plan for the worst, have a safety/ rescue crew ready. Conditions can change fast and with out notice. Ensure all involved are looking at the whole situation. Regroup and develop a new plan if necessary. 19

20 Come to me early with a problem and you will have a partner in finding a solution. Come to me late with a disaster and you will have a judge. - James Preston, Avon 20

21 Quality problems have a compounding affect Bob Marlow, as published in Grain & Feed Magazine, Attention to Grain Quality Keeps People Safe, March 28,

22 Grain Quality Tenets Adapted from Charles Hurburgh as published in Grain Journal How to Successfully Carry Crops Nick Friant 2015 NGFA CEC Cargill, Incorporated. All rights reserved. CONFIDENTIAL. This document contains trade secret information. Disclosure, use or reproduction outside Cargill or inside Cargill, to or by those employees who do not have a need to know is prohibited except as authorized by Cargill in writing Cargill, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

23 Grain quality never gets better Moisture is the most important factor you measure Aeration will not correct incomplete or nonuniform drying There is no silver bullet for monitoring/ managing grain in storage 25 How to Successfully Carry Crops Nick Friant 2015 NGFA CEC 2014 Cargill, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

24 Poor quality grain is more costly to handle and store Many aeration problems can be eliminated by coring bins If you do not grade/inspect all of your inbound grain, you cannot know what you have in storage Grain that has gone out of condition will always be a storage risk 26 How to Successfully Carry Crops Nick Friant 2015 NGFA CEC 2014 Cargill, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

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27 Storage Monitoring Plans Every one is going to be different The more detail and precision, the better Take into account changes in storage plans Does your plan include communication Are security considerations included Make it a part of your S/O Program 27

28 Example Monitoring Plan Concrete upright space Temperature readings will be reviewed on a weekly basis. Temp system automatically flags rises in temperature greater than 20 Deg. Aeration will be run to cool grain for storage (when appropriate), or when a hot spot is discovered. Grain will be turned as needed. 28

29 Example Monitoring Plan Remote Flat Flat will be checked for security each week (at a minimum). All doors, gates, and vents will be secured to prevent uncontrolled access to the flat. CO 2 readings will be recorded every two weeks. When filling the flat, samples will be collected to represent each 250,000 bushels and will be sent in for baseline mold testing and grading. Flat will be probed every days (when safe to do so) with samples being sent for mold tests and grading. If quality concerns arise, samples may be collected more often. 29

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39 APPROXIMATE ADDITIONAL COOLING TIME FOR CORN MIXED WITH FINES % Fines Multiplication Factor for Additional Cooling time

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47 Note: Summer to Winter transition is similar, but the a 4 i 9 r flows would be reversed.

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52 At the end of the day, we want to do everything we can to maintain the quality of the grain as it moves through our grain facility AND ensure that everyone who comes to our facility each day goes back home safely at the end of the day. 52

53 Closing Questions to Ponder Are you training/informing your team on the importance of grain quality? Are you doing everything you can to monitor and manage quality? Does your team understand why, how quickly, a quality issue can turn into a safety issue? Do you have policies/procedures in place when dealing with quality/safety concerns? 53

54 Stark Reality Tragic Headlines Two workers die after grain bin accident, 01/02/2018 Harrison County Supervisor Russ Kurth killed in grain bin accident, 11/07/2017 A Steady March of Grain Bin Deaths, 02/03/2016 Man dies in Iowa grain bin accident, 08/27/2015 Drowning in Corn, 12/8/2014 Sidney man dies in grain bin accident, 07/13/2013 Worker engulfed in 20,000 bushels of soybeans, 01/19/2012 Fargo man dies in Kindred grain bin accident, 06/10/2011 Mount Carroll in shock over grain bin deaths, 07/28/

55 60 U.S. Grain Entrapments/Engulfments Annual Incidents Non-Fatal Fatal Year 57

56 Contributing Factors to Grain-Related Entrapments and Engulfments? Increased crop yields. Larger volumes of grain are being harvested, handled and stored. Larger capacity storage facilities. Larger capacity handling systems. Climate conditions that have increased the amount of out-of-condition grain in storage. Aging storage facilities that fail to adequately protect the stored grain leading to spoilage and difficulty removing the grain from storage. Employees who may not recognize the threats associated with grain storage and handling. 56

57 Public Law The OSH Act was signed on December 29, years ago! Mission: Assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance. 57

58 Grain Stand Up Purpose: Each year employees lose their lives in preventable grain engulfments and entrapments. Everyone has a role in preventing injuries and illness in the industry every day. It is through all our combined efforts that we will be successful in reducing fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. 58

59 Grain Stand Up Goals raise hazard awareness to prevent fatalities and injuries in the grain industry. provide an opportunity for employers to openly discuss the hazards, protective methods, and their company's safety policies and goals with their employees. create a dialogue about hazard identification, hazard correction, and hazard prevention. 59

60 Grain Stand Up When: April 9 th through April 13 th, 2018 How can you help? Schedule an event at your facility or participate in one in your area Access the informational materials on the stand up website AND, Stand Up for grain safety 60