Injuries and deaths involving agricultural confined spaces rose nearly 41% last year, according to a report from Purdue University.
The university’s annual summary found 83 cases in 2022, compared to 59 instances the year before. Of those, 24 were fatal.
More than half of the cases last year involved grain bins, which is the highest number of reported grain entrapments in more than a decade. Of the reported entrapment cases in 2022, nearly 36% resulted in a death, which is lower than the five-year average.
Researchers noted that more cases of non-fatal injuries may be getting press coverage, but also said increased level of training taking place for first responders on “more effective” rescue strategies.
“It appears, however, that the overall frequency of these incidents, even though it has leveled off over the past six years, is reflecting little significant improvement from current prevention efforts,” the report stated.
Purdue researchers noted that nearly all cases involving grain bins they examined for 2022 involved grain that was non-flowing due to spoilage.
“Contributing factors included attempting to store grain at moisture content levels above 14%, improper in-bin drying practices such as rewetting grain using moist outside air, and leaks in the structure that allowed moisture to have access to dry grain,” according to the report.
“In other words, far more grain-related entrapments could have been prevented (and lives saved) by promoting proper storage techniques than could be achieved with providing training on emergency grain rescue strategies.”
Other incidents involved manure storage, entanglements inside confined spaces, falls from confined space structures, and grain dust explosions or fires.
Source: michiganfarmnews.com
Photo Credit: gettyimages-romaset
Categories: Michigan, Crops