Grain handling facility fined nearly $400,000 after worker is engulfed by corn

OSHA cited North Central Farmers Elevator in Ipswich, S.D., with six willful violations for exposing workers to the hazard of being engulfed by grain. Penalties total $378,000. OSHA began an investigation at the facility in October 2010 following an incident in which a worker was engulfed by corn in a grain bin. The violations relate to grain and confined spaces and demonstrate the failure to protect workers from engulfment hazards.
Since 2009, OSHA has issued fines exceeding $100,000 per employer to grain operators across the country following preventable engulfment fatalities and injuries in grain bins. In addition to enforcement actions, OSHA sent a notification letter in August 2010 and another in February 2011 to a total of more than 13,000 grain elevator operators warning them of proper safety precautions to prevent engulfments.

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