We can avoid 100% of grain bin accidents by not entering the grain bin. It’s Grain Bin Safety Week, and Landus is elevating this important topic by sharing our GROW Podcast featuring Derek Hommer, risk management consultant from Nationwide, and Ahad Mujeeb, Environmental, Health, and Safety Director from Landus.
Observed from February 19-25, Grain Bin Safety Week provides an excellent opportunity to showcase all the things Landus is doing to prevent on-site and on-farm injuries. Established in 2014, Grain Bin Safety Week was founded to educate, equip, and train farmers on grain bin rescue should rescue need to occur. Our insurance partner Nationwide, and the entire Landus Environmental, Health, and Safety Team, implement safety programs into farming practices and at our locations.
Top Tips for Grain Bin Safety
“If you don’t need to enter a grain bin, don’t enter it. We’re not going to have a grain bin accident if you’re not in the grain bin.”
Quick reminders about grain bin safety:
- If you need to go into a grain bin, always have an observer outside the entry point
- Have the observer check in on the person inside the bin every 30 – 60 seconds.
- Make sure all of the equipment in the bin is locked out.
- Practice good grain maintenance – if your grain is in good shape, there’s no reason for you to think about entering the bin.
“Grain bins are a confined space — one way in; one way out. If you wouldn’t crawl into a well by yourself, why would you crawl into a grain bin by yourself?”
Practicing a zero-entrance policy has potential to save lives by avoiding the risk altogether. However, if entry is unavoidable, Grain Bin Safety Week serves to provide education on how to safely enter a grain bin and avoid a catastrophe.
Between 2007 and 2021 there were approximately 504 reported grain entrapments. However, that number is estimated to be much higher since many entrapments that result in a successful rescue go unreported. The average age of an entrapment victim is 56. Of all on-farm entrapments, 64% of them are grain bin entrapments. Perhaps most important, 100% of grain bin entrapments are preventable by nobody entering the grain bin to begin with.
When accidents happen, rural communities deserve the assurance that help is nearby. Landus sees the vitality of rural communities being bolstered by a safe and secure environment for families to live in and prosper. Every year, Landus invites local fire departments and EMS teams serving communities in which we have locations to apply for a $750 Fire & EMS Core Grant to continue this vision. Last year, Landus awarded $54,000 in Fire & EMS Core Grants to local fire departments and emergency teams for safety equipment.
Like the Landus Fire & EMS Core Grant, Nationwide has developed rescue tubes for grain bins and donates them to fire departments. Over 272 grain bin rescue tubes have been donated across 31 states. To nominate your fire department, follow the link below.
Some of the latest developments in the grain bin rescue equipment will be available for demonstration at the Landus Innovation Connector events being held in March.
As part of our ongoing safety training, Landus offered an Internal Safety Program at the Des Moines Connector last year. The event provides employees with hands-on training that has real-scenario application. Landus had a grain entrapment simulator where employees were put in a grain entrapment simulation and executed safety steps in rescue and first responding practices.
Landus prioritizes grain bin safety throughout the year. When Grain Bin Safety Week rolls around, we’re proud to illustrate the everyday practices that we implement in our locations.
Check out the first ever video GROW Podcast with host Ashley Kaldenberg.
