Purdue University study urges farmers to use moisture testers for grain storage

Central Illinois farmers harvest their corn crops as the sun sets in 2016.

(The Center Square) – A new study from Purdue University has found that confined space accidents on farms are happening more frequently.

The 2022 Summary of U.S. Agricultural Confined Space-Related Injuries and Fatalities report said that confined space and grain entrapment incidents may be up by as much as 40%.

Data from the University of Illinois shows there were eight confined space-related fatalities in Illinois in 2022. Not all of the accidents were in grain bins. Confined spaces on farms include manure storage facilities, pits and silos.

The tragedy is that confined space deaths are preventable.

“That number should be zero,” said Amy Rademaker, farm safety coordinator for the Carle Center for Rural Health and Farm Safety in east central Illinois.

Illinois has worked to train first responders and beat the drum about the importance of accident prevention, Rademaker said.

“Illinois has done fairly well compared to other states in the corn belt,” she said.

For years, however, Rademaker has suspected that there are “near misses” and accidents on non-OSHA regulated farms that are never reported.

There is “a horrible system” for reporting farm data in general, Rademaker said. The Purdue study said that roughly 40% of “near misses” are never reported.

Rademaker’s take-away from the Purdue study is the importance of encouraging more farmers to invest in moisture testers and less investment in grain rescue tubes and grain training. A moisture tester is a safety investment that Rademaker’s farmer father swore by, she said. Her father would also hand shuck a sample of corn and take it to his grain elevator to get their opinion of the moisture level. At Carle, Rademaker said she enlists grain elevator operators to remind farmers to test for moisture.

Grain with a moisture content higher than 14% creates mold, causing corn in the bins to clump up and spoil, clogging the bin. To get the grain moving again, farmers must go in the bins to break up the clumps with their feet. Keeping the grain in good condition eliminates the need to go into a bin.

Even farmers who have been going in and out of bins for years can get trapped in a bin in 5 seconds. In 20 seconds, the person’s head will be submerged. Kids who grow up on farms know how dangerous the process is, but today’s hired farm workers need to be trained, Rademaker said. They need harnesses, belay systems, cell phones, masks and footwear. A buddy outside the bin to call for help if there is an accident is also important. A lockout/tagout program should be used to shut down the power to prevent grain from moving when a person goes in the bin, Rademaker said.

Investing in moisture testers and safety equipment is “chump change” compared to other investments that farmers make, Rademaker said.

“We want everybody to be able to go home,” she said.