During the week of June 6, 2011, three workers, one 

each in Iowa, Michigan and North Dakota, were killed 

when they were engulfed (buried or trapped) by grain 

while on the job. In Texas, a fourth worker was also 

buried in grain, but was rescued and survived. 

Suffocation from engulfment is a leading cause of 

death in grain bins, and the number of these deaths 

continues to rise. In fact, the number of such deaths 

more than doubled between 2006 and 2010. These 

fatalities are preventable if employers follow work 

practices and provide training and equipment as 

required by OSHA’s Grain Handling Facilities 

standard, 29 CFR 1910.272. 

How are workers suffocated or engulfed 

in grain bins?

Suffocation can occur when a worker enters a bin and 

is engulfed by grain or when bins develop hazardous 

atmospheres or do not have enough oxygen. A worker 

can be engulfed or suffocated if the worker enters the 

bin and:

• Stands on moving/flowing grain and the 

moving grain acts like “quicksand” and buries 

the worker in seconds 

Entering a bin while the auger is operating is 

dangerous. As the auger unloads the bin, grain 

flows to the outlet and is released, causing the 

grain above it to flow in and replace the released 

grain. When a worker stands on flowing grain, their 

weight forces the grain supporting them to flow to 

the outlet more quickly, causing them to rapidly 

sink into the grain. According to one source, at the 

average flow rate for grain, a 6-foot tall worker can 

be covered with grain in 11 seconds and would be 

unable to free him/her self after the first 5 seconds.1

• Stands on or below a “bridging” condition that 

collapses and buries the worker 

“Bridging” occurs when grain clumps together, 

because of moisture or mold, creating an empty

space beneath the grain as it is released. Bridged 

grain resists the downward pull that normally moves 

loose grain to the bin outlet and rarely becomes 

hard enough to support a person. If a worker steps 

onto the bridge, it can cave in under the worker’s 

weight, burying him or her in the empty space. 

Even if the grain flow is stopped before entering a 

bin, a worker could still be covered if they step onto 

a grain bridge and it caves in. As grain cascades 

down, the victim is covered with an “avalanche” of 

grain that traps and suffocates him or her. Standing under bridged grain is also hazardous because 

bridged grain can cave in unexpectedly and bury 

and suffocate the worker. 

• Tries to loosen a pile of grain and the grain 

caves in onto the worker, or stands next to a 

pile of grain on the side of the bin and the grain 

unexpectedly caves in onto the worker

Even though a wall of grain may appear safe, one 

scoop of grain may weaken support and cause the 

grain to cave in. If a worker is knocked off balance 

by the weight of grain, he or she can be covered 

quickly and suffocate. In some cases, grain can be 

loosened from outside the bin by bumping it with a 

pole through an access cover.

Dangers of Engulfment and Suffocation in Grain Bins

1-800-321-OSHA (6742) • www.osha.gov 1

1 The University of Arkansas publication entitled “Suffocation Hazards 

in Grain Bins” was released in 2010, and is available at http://www.

uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-1010.pdf.

A center grain unloading auger draws grain from the top 

center and the grain forms a cone as the bin is emptied.
• The atmospheric conditions inside the bin are 

at dangerous levels

Inside a storage bin, there is a potential for oxygen 

levels to be at unsafe levels. Also there is a potential for hazardous gases to be present. Because 

such hazardous atmospheres may be present 

inside a bin, a worker could quickly suffocate and 

become a victim.

These hazards are present in all grain handling 

facilities, regardless of size or number of workers. 

For detailed information about how workers become 

trapped by flowing grain, see the University of 

Arkansas publication entitled Suffocation Hazards 

in Grain Bins.

Who is at risk?

Although most workers at grain handling facilities are 

at risk of being trapped or buried by grain, young 

workers are particularly vulnerable and are often 

victims. Under federal law, workers under the age of 

16 are prohibited from entering confined spaces or 

environments, including grain storage structures. In 

2010, there were six documented cases of grain 

entrapments that involved workers who were under 

the age of 16. Five of these incidents resulted in 

death.2 The number of incidents involving young 

workers, and the fact that they are often fatal, 

illustrates the importance of making sure that young 

workers are informed about the hazards of grain 

handling. 

Incidents in grain bins often result in multiple deaths 

because other workers attempt to rescue their 

coworkers and become trapped or overcome as well. 

Pulling out a worker who is trapped in a grain bin 

requires a great deal of force, much more than is 

needed to rescue someone from under water. Water 

has “buoyancy,” which “floats” ships and helps 

lifeguards rescue victims much larger than themselves. Grain does not have these properties and 

resists the force a rescuer uses when trying to remove 

a buried worker. Rescue systems should therefore 

be designed and built to overcome this resistance. A 

rescuer’s strength alone is not likely to be enough to 

rescue a trapped worker.

OSHA requirements: How can 

employers reduce hazards and protect 

workers entering grain storage bins?

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 

1970, employers are responsible for providing safe 

and healthful workplaces for their employees. 

OSHA’s Grain Handling Facilities standard sets 

requirements that employers must follow to protect 

and train workers exposed to the hazards of grain 

handling facilities. The standard establishes commonsense safety practices and specific controls that can 

prevent worker injuries and deaths, and identifies 

specific controls for engulfment hazards that are 

covered below. OSHA’s standard also covers controls 

for other common issues at these facilities, including: 

dust accumulation and explosions, hazardous 

atmospheres, confined space entry, and emergencies. 

States that operate their own occupational safety and 

health programs approved by Federal OSHA enforce 

similar standards but may have different or additional 

requirements. A list of State plans is available at www.

osha.gov/dcsp/osp/index.html.

Entering grain storage bins is EXTREMELY 

DANGEROUS. To reduce the risk of engulfment and 

suffocation, do not allow workers to enter a grain 

storage bin unless it is absolutely necessary. If a 

worker must enter a grain storage bin, these simple 

hazard control measures must be implemented. 

Following these measures can SAVE WORKERS’ 

LIVES:

• De-energize (turn off) and disconnect, lockout and 

tag, or block off all mechanical, electrical, hydraulic 

and pneumatic equipment that presents a danger, 

particularly grain-moving equipment as required 

by 1910.272(g)(1)(ii). Grain should not be emptied 

or moved into or out of the bin while workers are 

inside because it creates a suction that can pull the 

worker into the grain in seconds.3

• Prohibit and prevent workers from walking down 

grain and similar practices where walking on grain 

is intended to make it flow, required by 1910.272(g)

(1)(iv).

• Prohibit and prevent worker entry onto or below a 

bridging condition, or where grain is built up on the 

side of the bin, required by 1910.272(g)(6).

1-800-321-OSHA (6742) • www.osha.gov 2

2 The Purdue University study entitled “2010 Summary of Grain 

Entrapments in the United States” was released on February 9, 2011, 

and is available at http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/grainlab/content/

pdf/2010GrainEntrapments.pdf

3 See The University of Arkansas’s “Suffocation Hazards in Grain 

Bins.” 
• Train all workers for the specific hazardous 

work operations they are to perform when entering and working inside of grain bins, required by 

1910.272(e). 

• Provide each worker entering a bin from a level at 

or above stored grain, or when a worker will walk 

or stand on stored grain, with a body harness. 

The body harness should have a lifeline that is 

positioned and is of sufficient length to prevent a 

worker from sinking further than waist-deep in grain, 

required by 1910.272(g)(2).

• Provide workers with rescue equipment, such as 

winch systems, that are specifically suited for 

rescue from the bin, required by 1910.272(g)(4).

• Station an observer who is equipped to provide 

assistance and perform rescue operations outside 

the bin, required by 1910.272(g)(3). 

• Ensure that communications (visual, voice or signal 

line) are maintained between the observer and 

the workers who entered the bin, as required by 

1910.272(g)(3).

• Test the air within a bin for oxygen content and the 

presence of hazardous gases before entry, required 

by 1910.272(g)(1)(iii).

• Provide and continue ventilation until any unsafe 

atmospheric conditions are eliminated. If toxicity 

or oxygen deficiency cannot be eliminated, workers must wear appropriate respirators, required by 

1910.272(g)(1)(iii)A and B.

• Issue a permit each time a worker enters a bin, 

unless the employer is present during the entire 

entry operation. The permit must certify that the 

above precautions have been implemented before 

workers enter the bin, required by 1910.272(g)(1)(i).

What has OSHA done to address the 

hazards?

In 2010, OSHA conducted nearly 300 grain handling 

inspections of various grain operations, an increase 

of more than 100 such inspections since 2008. This 

increase was a direct result of the Local Emphasis 

Programs that OSHA has implemented in several 

regions to focus on significant hazards associated with 

grain handling. 

OSHA found that employer negligence, noncompliance with OSHA standards, and/or poor safety and 

health practices are significant factors in causing 

grain engulfments. About three-fourths of the nearly 

300 worksites inspected were in violation of OSHA 

standards, and nearly 20 of the inspections resulted in 

willful or repeat citations. Violations covered hazards 

associated with grain engulfment, machine guarding, 

lockout/tagout of dangerous equipment to prevent 

accidental energization start-up, electricity, falls, 

employee training and combustible dust hazards. 

As a result of the increased number of inspections, 

OSHA imposed substantial multi-million dollar fines on 

several employers for preventable grain handling 

fatalities and injuries. For example, in 20114 OSHA 

fined Haasbach LLC in Mount Carroll and Hillsdale 

Elevator Co. in Geneseo and Annawan, Illinois 

following the deaths of three workers, including two 

teenagers. The employers were cited for failing to 

lockout/tagout dangerous equipment prior to bin entry, 

entering grain bins under bridging (engulfment) 

conditions, and failing to post an observer outside the 

bin during an entry. The workers were killed when the 

grain engulfed and suffocated them. The fines to both 

companies total $1,352,125.

Additionally, OSHA has: 

• sent notification letters to over 13,000 worksites 

reminding employers of basic safeguards they must 

use

• published a new grain handling fact sheet 

• updated its Grain Handling Safety & Health Topics 

Web page

• developed a Grain Bin Entry wallet card. 

OSHA Area Offices conduct local outreach efforts, 

including outreach to high school and college 

students, and outreach to small cooperative grain 

handling operations. OSHA Area Offices also 

coordinate with State Plan states on their enforcement 

and hazard prevention efforts.

4

The Haasbach and Hillsdale citations were issued on January 

24, 2011, and are available at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/ 

haasbach-hillsdale-citations.html. 

1-800-321-OSHA (6742) • www.osha.gov 3
How can OSHA help employers?

OSHA provides free, On-Site Consultation for 

small businesses with fewer than 250 workers at a 

site (and no more than 500 employees nationwide). 

This program provides free on-site compliance 

assistance to help employers identify and correct 

job hazards as well as improve injury and illness 

prevention programs. On-site consultation services 

are separate from enforcement and do not result in 

penalties or citations. To locate the OSHA Consultation 

Office nearest you, visit www.osha.gov or call 1-800-

321-OSHA (6742).

OSHA also has Compliance Assistance Specialists

throughout the nation who can provide general 

information about OSHA standards and compliance 

assistance resources. Contact your local OSHA 

office for more information by calling 1-800-321-OSHA 

(6742) or visit OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov.

What rights do workers have?

Workers have the right to:

• Working conditions that do not pose a risk of 

serious harm.

• Receive information and training (in a language 

and vocabulary they understand) about workplace 

hazards, methods to prevent them, and the OSHA 

standards that apply to their workplace.

• Review records of work-related injuries and 

illnesses.

• Get copies of test results that find and measure 

hazards.

• File a complaint asking OSHA to inspect their 

workplace if they believe there is a serious hazard 

or that their employer is not following OSHA’s rules. 

When requested, OSHA will keep all identities 

confidential.

• Exercise their rights under the law without retaliation or discrimination.

For questions or to get information or advice, to reach 

OSHA consultation, to report an emergency, a fatality 

or catastrophe, to order products or to file a complaint, 

contact your nearest OSHA office, visit www.osha.gov

or call OSHA at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742), TTY 1-877-

889-5627.

Resources with more information:

• Safety and Health Topics: Grain Handling. 

This OSHA webpage describes grain handling 

hazards and OSHA’s standard for grain 

handling facilities. www.osha.gov/SLTC/

grainhandling/index.html

• Worker Entry Into Grain Storage Bins. This 

OSHA Fact Sheet illustrates hazardous 

conditions and includes a brief list of the 

precautions employers must use.

• Suffocation Hazards in Grain Bins. This 

University of Arkansas publication describes 

in detail why it is easy to get trapped by 

flowing grain.

• 2010 Summary of Grain Entrapments in the 

United States. This Purdue University study 

documents the trend in grain entrapment 

incidents.

• OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.272, Grain 

Handling Facilities. This OSHA standard 

covers grain handling facilities and includes 

requirements for controlling the many hazards 

associated with grain handling operations, 

including engulfment hazards, grain dust 

fires and explosions, and certain other safety 

hazards.

• National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. 

This website lists member regional and 

national farmer cooperatives that may be able 

to provide assistance. www.ncfc.org

1-800-321-OSHA (6742) • www.osha.gov 4

Page 1 illustration: John A. Kramer, Safety Measures in Handling 

Stored Grain, Kansas State University, February 1989.
Disclaimer

This Hazard Alert is not a standard or regulation, and it creates no new legal obligations. It contains 

recommendations as well as descriptions of mandatory safety and health standards [and other regulatory 

requirements]. The recommendations are advisory in nature, informational in content, and are intended 

to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act 

requires employers to comply with safety and health standards and regulations promulgated by OSHA or 

by a state with an OSHA-approved state plan. In addition, the Act’s General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1), 

requires employers to provide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely 

to cause death or serious physical harm.

1-800-321-OSHA (6742) • TTY 1-877-889-5627

www.osha.gov

U.S. Department of Labor

DTSEM 8/2011 5