Tuesday November 27th, 2012

Since 1978, there have been 900 fatal and nonfatal engulfment’s, entrapments, falls, and entanglements in grain storage and handling facilities, according to Purdue's Agricultural Confined Spaces database.   This six-hour Grain Handling Safety Workshop is focused on general grain bin operation, safety and rescue.

When handling grain in containers such as bins, the simple message is - LEARN & LIVE. Safety around grain does not have to be expensive or complicated—it just needs to be DONE. Making the public aware and teaching how to handle grain safely is the dedicated function of the Grain Handling Safety Coalition (GHSC), in collaboration with University of Illinois Extension, wants this workshop to help make SAFETY the standard operating procedure of your farm.

The registration deadline is November 16, 2012 and includes lunch and handouts. The registration fee is $15 per person and $10 for each additional family member.  Youth (under age 18) are encouraged to register for $10. For more information or to register, please call University of Illinois, Ogle County at 815-732-2191; for online registration, check the unit website: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/bdo/. 

For more information about the program, contact Ellen Phillips, Extension Educator, [email protected].

Robert Aherin,Extension Specialist-Safety, will lead the workshop which focuses on:

 Overview
o Main hazards of grain handling, risk management and community planning.
 Entanglement Hazards
o Identification, prevention, maintenance and correction of entanglement hazards.
 Grain Bin Entry
o Identification and assessment of risk level and reducing hazards with a focus on safety
procedures
 Safe Handling & Storage of Grain Overview
o Injury and illness risk factors
o Effective grain safety risk management plan
o Understanding the OSHA Grain Standard
 Entanglement Hazards
o Understanding the risks of machine guarding, PTO drives, belts, V-belts, conveyors, sweep
augers
 Grain Bin Entry Procedures
o Recognized safe entry guidelines for anyone entering a grain bin

This workshop is designed for elevator employees, farmers and family members.  Although rescue information will be discussed, it will not be in-depth to train rescue workers. The workshop was designed by the Grain Handling Safety Coalition and University of Illinois Extension.  It is co-sponsored by the Ogle County Farm