By Laura Miller, ISU Extension Safe Farm editor A recent Iowa State University study showed that Iowa farmers may underestimate risks associated with augers, one of the most dangerous machines on the farm. On a per-hour basis, augers are one of the most hazardous pieces of farm equipment today.
Augers have a rotating corkscrew blade, typically used to move grain in Iowa.
Some grain wagons are equipped with built-in augers, as are storage bins. A majority of the injuries, however, occur with portable augers, which can be used in a variety of situations. Augers range in size from 4 to 14 inches in diameter and 20 to 100 feet in length. To study how augers are used in Iowa, last spring Schwab and Pollard conducted a mail survey of 400 rural residents randomly selected statewide. They received responses from 93 people, about 60 percent of whom were full-time farm operators.