OSHA investigation into grain worker’s death reveals company lacked rescue equipment

A Missouri grain cooperative is facing $241,887 in proposed penalties after a U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation revealed the company could have prevented an employee’s fatal engulfment in a storage bin in May had it followed federal workplace safety requirements.

OSHA said that three employees of MFA Inc., operating as MFA Rail Car, were removing clumps of corn dust from a bin at the company’s Hamilton, Missouri, facility when a worker entered the bin to clear screenings and became engulfed when the screenings shifted. Another worker tried to rescue his coworker but was engulfed to his waist before being rescued by first responders from the local fire department, according to OSHA.

OSHA found the Columbia, Missouri, grain cooperative had not completed a required bin entry permit before allowing the worker inside. Additionally, the conveyor was running with the bin’s bottom gate open, increasing the risk of product shifting and the risk of engulfment. The employer also lacked adequate rescue equipment, failed to ensure the worker wore a harness and lifeline and did not follow other required safety procedures before entering the bin.