Why Grains Are Dangerous During Manufacturing
In the agriculture industry, handling and storing grain requires immense care. One of the top reasons for this is to keep the grain itself intact. However, it’s also crucial to handle grain with care because of the safety risks it involves.
To ensure you’re overseeing a responsible and productive facility, read through these reasons why grains are dangerous during manufacturing. By learning the top hazards this material presents, you can swiftly optimize the workplace to prevent substantial accidents from occurring.
Entrapment and Suffocation
Entrapment during grain handling involves an employee falling into the grain, unable to escape. It’s a scary event that can happen for several reasons. For example, entrapment can result from dust clinging to a machine, which is a process commonly called “bridging.”
If bridging occurs above a location where employees operate, it can eventually fall onto them, instantly trapping them underneath. Likewise, neglecting to shut down any powered equipment, such as augers, can cause the grain to move while an employee is inside the storage bin.
When this happens, it becomes easier for employees to fall into the grain, so always power down such machinery. Due to the possibility of entrapment, employees who enter bins should have a safety harness carefully secured to them.
When employees fall victim to entrapment, they can suffocate beneath the grain. Suffocation is one of the most widespread hazards in the grain handling industry. Providing the right safety equipment and thoroughly training employees is the best way to minimize these risks.
Fire and Combustion Hazard
Another reason why grains are dangerous during manufacturing is their susceptibility to ignition and combustion. Procedures like installing a dust collection system and regularly cleaning the workplace are important for minimizing grain dust accumulation.
When this dust excessively gathers on nearby equipment, ignition sources such as open flames and hot machinery can lead to fires or explosions erupting in the workplace. Explosions and fires can inflict costly damage on any equipment in the area. More importantly, it can cause injuries or even death if employees are close by too.
You also have to stay on top of dust collector maintenance to ensure the system works effectively every day. For instance, if you don’t know how to prevent bridging, dust can accumulate within a hopper over time without anyone even realizing it. Plus, as mentioned before, bridging can play a role in entrapping employees beneath the grain.
