Evaluating and Controlling Exposure

Evaluating Exposure

• Chemical Sampling Information. OSHA.
  • Grain Dust (Oats, Wheat & Barley). Provides general sampling information for grain dust.
    
• Sampling and Analytical Methods. OSHA.
  • Ethylene Dibromide. Analytical Method 02.
  • Methyl Bromide. Analytical Method PV2040.
  • Phosphine. Analytical Method 1003. In this method a mercuric chloride-treated polyester filter is used to capture phosphine and ICP-AES is used to analyze for the total phosphorus.
  • Phosphine in Workplace Atmospheres. Analytical Method ID-180.
    
    
• Mycotoxins. US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA).
  
  
• Aflatoxin Handbook. US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA).

Controlling Exposure

• Hazard Alert: Dangers of Engulfment and Suffocation in Grain Bins. OSHA.
  
  
• Combustible Dust in Industry: Preventing and Mitigating the Effects of Fire and Explosions. OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB), (2005, July 31). Also available as a 21 KB PDF, 9 pages. Highlights hazards associated with combustible dusts; work practices and guidelines that reduce the potential for a combustible dust explosion, or that reduce the danger to employees if such an explosion occurs; and, training to protect employees from these hazards.
  
  
• Hazard Alert: Combustible Dust Explosions [790 KB PDF^*, 2 pages]. OSHA Fact Sheet, (2008, March). Provides a brief and easy to understand summary of hazards associated with combustible dusts; work practices and guidelines that reduce the potential for combustible dust explosions.
  
  
• Grain Handling [74 KB PDF^*, 24 pages]. OSHA Publication 3103, (Revised 1996).
  
  
• Preventing Grain Auger Electrocutions. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 86-119, (1986, July). Includes case studies of electrocutions, regulatory status, and recommendations for prevention.
  
  
• Preventing Fatalities Due to Fires and Explosions in Oxygen-Limiting Silos. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 86-118, (1986, July). Includes a case study and recommendations for prevention.
  
  
• Occupational Safety in Grain Elevators and Feed Mills. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 83-126, (1983, September). Provides links to documents identifying hazards and discussing work practices, engineering controls, and training needs.
  
  
• Grain Handling/Harvesting/Storage. National Agricultural Safety Database (NASD). Provides a collection of links to several NASD documents, covering nearly all aspects of grain handling.
  
  
• Grain Storage Safety. National Agricultural Safety Database (NASD) and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, (2006, September). Outlines general safety guidelines for grain storage.
  
  
• For additional information on possible solutions for grain handling related hazards, see OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Pages on:
  • Combustible Dust
  • Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout)
  • Fall Protection
  • Fire Safety
  • Machine Guarding

Case Studies

• Farm Worker Suffocates in Flowing Grain While Clearing a Blocked Grain Auger. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Iowa Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Investigation 98IA043.
  
  
• NIOSH Warns Farmers of Deadly Risk of Grain Suffocation. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 93-116, (1993, April 28). Contains case studies and recommendations for control.

Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management at (202) 693-2300 for assistance accessing PDF materials.

^*These files are provided for downloading.