Grain entrapment, livestock waste handling injuries and deaths on the rise

In 2022, there were 83 reported accidents involving agricultural confined spaces in the U.S., with 24 resulting in at least one death. That's a 40.7% increase over the previous year, according to Purdue University's newly released Summary of U.S. Agricultural Confined Space-Related Injuries and Fatalities.

Grain-related entrapments made up more than half of the confined space accidents, with 42 reported in 2022, a 44.8% increase over 2021 and the highest number in more than a decade.

The remaining 41 incidents involved livestock waste handling facilities, entanglements inside confined spaces, falls from confined space structures, and grain dust explosions or fires.

Livestock waste storage pits or lagoons accounted for 11 of the non-grain entrapments, eight of which were fatal, including one 16-year-old boy.

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Eight incidents involved more than one person. One explosion in Iowa injured 15 people.

Iowa reported a total of 24 cases overall, more than any state. Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio each reported six cases.

All but one of the document cases involved males. One female was involved in an accident inside a cotton module builder. Cases involved people ranging in age from 4 to 75. Five grain entrapment cases involved people under age 21.

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In 2022, there were more non-fatal than fatal cases reported, but over the long-term, there have been significantly more fatal than non-fatal cases. The report says this suggests earlier under-reporting of non-fatal incidents. "Another possible factor contributing to the increasing proportion of non-fatal injuries is the increased level of training taking place for emergency first responders on more effective rescue strategies," it states.

Is grain entrapment education working?

Iowa reported the most grain entrapment cases in 2022, with nine, followed by Minnesota, Indiana, and Missouri. Historically, Indiana has had the most cases, followed by Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois.

The report notes there is a direct relationship between grain entrapment and spoiled grain. "For many years, the term, 'flowing grain,' was used to identify the entrapment hazards associated with grain storage and handling," the report says, "when in fact it is non-flowing grain that poses the greatest risk."

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Nearly all grain entrapment cases in 2022 involved grain that wasn't flowing due to spoilage. Reasons given for the spoiled grain include storing at moisture levels above 14%, improper drying practices such as rewetting grain using moist outside air, and leaks in the structure that let moisture in.

"In other words," the report says, "far more grain-related entrapments could have been prevented (and lives saved) by promoting proper storage techniques than could be achieved with providing training on emergency grain rescue strategies."

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The report notes training for first responders being held across the U.S., even in areas where the probability of entrapment is extremely low. The primary focus has been using coffer dams or grain rescue tubes and high-angle rescue techniques.

"In many cases, the training appears to be in response to a single local incident, which may have been the only such incident ever documented in the service area," the report states. It notes millions of dollars are spent on this training and equipment, "even in light of the fact that only about 30 to 35 incidents occur annually in the entire U.S., and historically over 50% have involved a victim recovery rather than a rescue."

"Despite the significant resources being devoted to addressing the issue, the number of reported cases continues to be a cause for concern," the Purdue report says. "The overall frequency of these incidents, even though it has leveled off over the past six. Years, is reflecting little significant improvement from current prevention efforts."

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National AgrAbility Project Director William E. Field, Ed.D., who is also a professor at Purdue, says, "I continue to to suggest that we reconsider our national priorities on preventing these incidents. Could providing free moisture testers to those who store grain have a greater impact than grain rescue tubes?"

Waste-related accidents often fatal

Incidents involving agricultural waste storage and handling, transport, and other livestock waste operations resulted in 486 injuries or deaths between 1975 and 2021.

Of these, 59%, or 288, were fatalities.

The average age of these victims was 37, which is significantly lower than the average age of U.S. farmers. "This indicates that youth and less experienced farmers were more prone to agricultural waste related incidents," the report says.

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In 2020, there were 11 incidents related to livestock waste, resulting in five fatalities. In 2021, there were 13 incidents involving 16 people, with 12 of those being fatalities. In 2022, there were 11 incidents involving 11 individuals, resulting in eight deaths.

The most common cause of these injuries or fatalities in 2022 was performing maintenance tasks in or around manure storage structures, including pump repairs. This is true with all cases documented since 1975.

When it comes to waste-related incidents, the overall trend shows a marked increase. Reasons for this may include more aggressive surveillance, larger capacity agricultural waste storage and handling facilities, and a rising number of livestock confinement operations.

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"The upward trend, especially the higher number of incidents after 2015 should, however, be of concern," the report states.

Historical comparisons

Purdue University's Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department has been compiling incidents involving grain storage and handling facilities since the 1970s. Additional types of incidents were added to the report in 2013 thanks to a USDA grant. All data is stored in the Purdue Agricultural Confined Space Incident Database (PACSID).

PACSID contains information on 2,323 cases resulting in an injury or fatality, or which required emergency extrication, occurring between 1962 and 2022. Of those cases, 1,355, or 59%, were fatal. Grain storage and handling facilities and/or grain transport vehicles were involved in 72% of all cases.

While early cases were documented by hard copy news reports, today most cases are identified through electronic searches. Since there are no mandatory incident or injury reporting systems for most of agriculture, the report notes it is safe to say the actual numbers are much higher.

"With over two-thirds of U.S. grain storage capacity being on farms which are exempt from OSHA injury reporting requirements, it is highly likely that this summary does not encompass all grain-related entrapments, whether resulting in death or not," the report states.