Safety, Health & Environment

During CONVEY ’18 this summer, Eric Conn, a founding partner of Conn Maciel Carey in Washington, D.C., and chair of the firm’s national OSHA Workplace Safety Practice Group, will provide a thorough overview of the most important aspects of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection. CONVEY ’18, hosted by the NGFA and Grain Journal Magazine, is to be conducted July 25-26 at the Hilton Omaha hotel in Omaha, Neb., where speakers and attendees will focus on operations, compliance and grain quality issues facing the grain, feed and processing ... Read More

In the NGFA’s latest training video, join Manager of Education, Training and Regulatory Affairs Jim Seibert to brush up on the basic safety precautions and equipment needed to enter a grain bin. This short video breaks down each step of the process to ensure managers and employees don’t miss a step and stay safe every day. Engulfment is one of the leading types of fatalities inside a grain bin; however, there are numerous industry and Occupational Safety and Health Administration resources available to assist in preventing future incidents. This video summarizes some critical aspects of safe ... Read More

The NGFA and North American Export Grain Association made several recommendations to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on ways to strengthen its Grain Inspection Advisory Committee. Member companies of the NGFA and NAEGA make up the vast majority of businesses that pay for and are direct customers of the Official grain inspection and weighing system. In their comments, NGFA and NAEGA said the advisory committee continues to have value “in providing expert advice and assistance” to USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to ensure that Official inspections are performed “in a ... Read More

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) completed a major safety outreach effort, the “Stand-Up for Grain Engulfment Prevention Awareness Week” from April 9-13, to help raise awareness about grain bin engulfment hazards, provide education and training, and convey safety best practices. Made possible by the NGFA-OSHA Alliance, in collaboration with Grain Elevator and Processing Society, the stand-up week promoted grain bin safety on both farms and at commercial grain handling facilities. Missouri Governor Eric Greitens ... Read More

The number of grain dust explosions increased in 2017 but was still below the 10-year average of explosions per year, according to an annual report issued by Purdue University’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. There were seven grain dust explosions in 2017, compared to five in 2016 and a 10-year average of 9.3 per year. One of the explosions occurred in a feed mill, one in a grain mill and five in grain elevators. Grain dust was confirmed as the main source of fuel in two of the incidents, but could not be confirmed in five of the others. There were five fatalities ... Read More

By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs Due to the number of fatalities and injuries attributable to engulfment and entrapments in grain bins on family farms and at commercial grain handling facilities, the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) is working with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to host an awareness week to remind both employers and employees about common entrapment hazards and available NGFA and OSHA training material. There were 60 confirmed grain bin entrapments and incidents in confined spaces on U.S. farms in 2016, ... Read More

NGFA published a guidance document for the Department of Labor’s regulations regarding walking and working surfaces. This guide provides a basic overview of the changes made to the general industry standards addressing slip, trip, and fall hazards found in Subpart D of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. The guide is meant to serve as a foundation upon which individual companies can build their own tailored plans specific to their facility, operations, personnel, and other conditions. Sample documents found in the appendices provide templates that may be used ... Read More

By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs The EPA recently updated its safety standards regarding hazardous chemicals, including combustible dust. EPA’s revisions to 40 CFR Part 370 will affect reporting under Sections 311 and 312 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) for the 2017 calendar year. The revisions are intended to better align EPCRA with the revised OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) and facilitate safer management of hazardous materials. Facilities Must Submit Tier II Reports Using New Reporting Format by March 1, ... Read More