BeGrainSafe with a “zero entry” policy

Entering a bin to break up spoiled grain is a leading cause of grain entrapment, and more than half of grain entrapments are fatal, according to data from United States research. A good farm rule is for everyone to stay out of bins and trucks, especially when loading and unloading.

A factsheet called Grain Entrapment, from the University of Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Health and Safety Network, includes these United States statistics and makes important statements about the risks of working inside bins. When a bin is unloaded, the funneling of grain creates a suction that can entrap a person almost instantly. “The pull of the grain can cause an individual to become covered to their knees within three to four seconds or completely engulfed within 20 seconds,” the factsheet reads.

The first factsheet tip to avoid entrapment is a “zero entry” policy. Basically, do not enter grain storage or grain transport vehicles when loading or unloading grain.

If absolutely necessary to enter a bin, do not work alone. When a person gets entrapped in grain, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) notes that the odds of them self-rescuing are minimal. The factsheet recommends having another worker, whose job is to observe, present at all times. However, the factsheet makes it quite clear that entering the bin or transport, even with supervision, is still much riskier than zero entry: “Unless the flow of grain can be stopped very quickly…it is unlikely that anyone will be strong enough to pull an engulfed individual out.”

The observer would at least be able to call local emergency services, many of which are trained in grain extraction thanks to funding from canola farmer associations. SaskCanola, Alberta Canola, Manitoba Canola Growers and Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) contribute each year to CASA’s BeGrainSafe first responder training to improve the odds of survival if someone is trapped.

The heart of the program is a mobile unit used to train first responders for grain entrapment emergencies. In 2022, CASA trained over 600 firefighters from 25 fire departments on how to respond to grain entrapment.

“Farm safety remains a key priority for SaskCanola and for our fellow organizations Alberta Canola, Manitoba Canola Growers and CCGA, with investments in the BeGrainSafe Program to train rural volunteer firefighters to rescue people entrapped in grain,” says Tracy Broughton, SaskCanola’s executive director.

Click here to watch Manitoba famer Randy Froese describe his close call with entrapment.