Safety, Health & Environment

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

By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs and Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) today formed an alliance, which will allow the grain, feed and processing industry to work more closely and collaboratively with the regulatory agency. The Alliance, signed by Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary of OSHA Loren Sweatt and NGFA President Randy Gordon, during NGFA’s Board of Directors meeting ... Read More

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is organizing a “Stand-Up for Grain Engulfment Prevention” campaign promoting grain bin safety in an effort to prevent engulfment and entanglements. During the week of March 27 - 31, OSHA is encouraging employers to join this campaign, OSHA's first for the grain handling industry. The agency hopes that it becomes an annual tradition with more worksites taking part every year. According to OSHA, companies may participate by providing a focused activity or toolbox talk on topics such as lock-out/tag-out, walk down, fall prevention, ... Read More

The number of grain dust explosions in the United States fell to a 10-year low in 2016, but two of the incidents resulted in the first fatalities since 2013, according to an annual report released by Purdue University’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. There were five grain dust explosions in 2016, compared to eight in 2015 and a 10-year average of 9.2 per year. One of the explosions occurred in a feed mill, two in grain mills and two in grain elevators. Grain dust was confirmed as the main source of fuel in three of the incidents, but could not be confirmed in two of ... Read More

By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) issued one of its last rules for the Obama administration with a final rule that amends the OSHA recordkeeping regulations to clarify that the duty to make and maintain accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses is an ongoing obligation. OSHA issued the rule, “Clarification of Employer’s Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain Accurate Records of Each Recordable Injury and Illness,” in mid-December. The final rule is revised to state: How ... Read More