The average person wouldn't think of a grain bin as a safety hazard. After all, it appears as a silo holding wheat, oats or barley. But, for the workers inside these settings, one slip can become life-ending.

Grain acts like sand, and with the depth of a bin or silo, a person in this perilous situation can rapidly sink down and be suffocated in a matter of seconds. On top of this, fires, explosions and equipment injuries remain a possibility.

Especially if you handle incidents in an agriculture-heavy region or you operate a grain milling and storage facility, make sure your team has adequate rescue equipment available. Learn more about common hazards and related tools:

Safety Concerns Involving Grain Bins

Workers around or inside a grain bin risk a number of hazards:

• Grain dust can accumulate, contributing to a fire hazard.
• Falling into the grain can quickly swallow and suffocate a person.
• As in all agricultural settings, using farm equipment comes with crush, entanglement and amputation hazards.
• Rotting or spoiled grain exposes workers to multiple potentially toxic substances, including mold, chemicals and gases resulting from fermentation.

Types of Grain Bin Rescue Equipment

As a firefighter, first responder or industrial safety professional, you have just seconds to free someone from a grain bin. The flow or collapse of a wall of grain can quickly cover someone who falls over the edge, burying them in under a minute. The pace and force of the grain also mean that freeing one's self becomes impossible.

Rescue equipment for these scenarios includes:

• Augers, which assist with pushing the grain aside to free the victim.
• Grain bin rescue tubes, an adaptable solution, remove large quantities of grain from the area surrounding the victim.

Browse these and more grain bin rescue solutions at Fire Safety USA to accurately and rapidly respond to emergency scenarios in your region or workplace. Place your order online, through our call center or via our direct fax line today.