By Dee Jepsen
Agricultural safety professionals with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University are seeking Ohio farmers to participate in a statewide survey regarding their on-farm grain bin storage facilities.
It doesn’t matter if the bins are “owned” or “managed” by the producer; hazards exist on all types of bin systems regardless of ownership status, said Dee Jepsen, state safety leader for Ohio State University Extension. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the college.
“This study is to help us better understand the types of grain storage facilities in the state in relation to the safety and health practices at those facilities,” she said. “The survey does not collect personal identifying information, making the answers anonymous.”
Hazards associated with grain facilities can include out-of-condition grain, organic dust, grain entrapment, equipment entanglement, fire and explosion. These hazards are a contributing factor to the safety and health of the operator.
“Understanding the types of bins, types of drying systems, target moisture content of the grain and personal protection factors will help us understand contributing safety hazards at the bin,” Jepsen said.
The survey results will be used to develop training materials as well as design better engineering controls. The survey can be found at go.osu.edu/safetysurvey.
The project is being conducted by the OSU Agricultural Safety and Health program and is funded by the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation.