A study was undertaken to estimate the frequency and contributing factors associated with flowing grain entrapment fatalities, with special attention given to on-farm grain storage facilities and grain transport vehicles. A total of 248 fatal incidents were identified in 23 states and one Canadian province during the period 1964 through 1994.
Data was compiled and analyzed with respect to the incident, age of the victims, state, and type of grain involved. A number of non-fatal grain entrapments were also identified, but are not included in the study's findings. Children, especially males, between the ages of one and sixteen are the most vulnerable to entrapment and suffocation in flowing grain. This group accounted for 34% of all identified cases. Analysis of the data provided no clear evidence to suggest whether the magnitude of the problem is increasing or decreasing. The identified cases are more likely representative of the problem.
Results of this analysis will be used in the creation of intervention methods and recommendations to prevent future entrapments in grain storage facilities and grain transport vehicles. The presentation will be a summary of the identified incidents with the focus on those incidents grouped into the two dominant agent of injury categories, bins/silos and grain transport vehicles (GTVs).
This research abstract was extracted from a portion of the proceedings of "Agricultural Safety and Health: Detection, Prevention and Intervention," a conference presented by the Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Health, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
The authors noted above are from: Both at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.
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