A recent story about Ohio workers who were exposed to hazards while working at the Sabina Farmer's Exchange has drawn attention to the dangers you could face on the job if safety measures aren't followed. In this situation, three employees working at Sabina Farmers Exchange Inc. in Wilmington, Ohio, had been working inside a grain storage bin. Reportedly, the auger, a machine used to push grains to the bin's opening, was on while they were inside.
This opened up the workers to incredible danger. According to the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, the company has been cited for three repeat and six serious safety violations, the latest being the grain storage bin incident. The workers had allegedly been exposed to grain engulfment hazards, which would mean they could have been pulled under as grains moved toward the rotating auger.
The OSHA area director from Cincinnati, Ohio, stated that workers can be completely submerged by the grain in as little as 60 seconds. Over half of the instances where this takes place result in death, with suffocation as the cause. Moving grains act like quicksand, making it hard for workers to escape once caught.
In the grain and feed industry, there are six major hazards. OSHA has published information related to those hazards including proper bin entry techniques and auger use. At Sabina Farmers Exchange, repeat hazards were reported due to workers entering bins when the augers were on. Additionally, workers were also allegedly exposed to fire hazards due to improperly-maintained electrical boxes.
When people are hurt working on the job, they are entitled to workers' compensation and perhaps additional compensation for injuries and other damages. By taking action against negligent employers, workers can help make sure that these accidents don't take place again.
Source: WorkersCompensation.com, "Ohio Workers Exposed to Grain Bin Entrapment at Sabina Farmers Exchange Ohio Workers Exposed to Grain Bin Entrapment at Sabina Farmers Exchange" Jul. 11, 2014