Steps towards silo safety

Steps towards silo safety

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Marsha Salzwedel,, Agricultural Youth Safety Specialist with the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety warns of the dangers that explode when young people venture too close to grain silos. "We are talking about seconds to be trapped where you can't get out. We need to keep young people out of these bins whenever there is any product in them. Even if the augers and they sumps and everything is closed where the grain shouldn't be flowing, sometimes the grain will crest or it will bridge and when that breaks away, the grain starts to flow anyway even though there is no equipment going on. Young people can be trapped and engulfed that way as well."

Salzwedel's organization offers steps to prevent tragedies. "The National Farm Medicine Center has a center that specializes in child safety and we oftentimes participate in other organizations. One of the other coalitions that we participate in is called the Grain Handling Safety Coalition. They have a website grainsafety.org which has a young workers page on it. That page has a lot of information on what young people should and should not be doing around grain bins."

Salzwedel often speaks to FFA members along with their advisors.

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