Abstract: Some employees were unloading a 195-ft by 135-ft grain barge at a Norfolk, VA grain elevator. This barge had been loaded with 20 to 21 percent moist yellow field corn on September 1, 1984, at an Elizabeth City, NC grain elevator. It traveled via tug to Norfolk on September 4, 1984. On September 11, 1984, at approximately 3:30 am, an employee entered the aft starboard personnel hatch on the barge to retrieve a rope. Only the center hatch cover (1 of 12 covers) was removed. The employee entered the barge without using a ladder or flashlight. He had conducted no atmospheric tests before entry. Within 1 to 2 minutes after entry, the employee called for help. He lost consciousness, landed face down in the corn, and was asphyxiated. Four other employees entered the barge without respiratory protection and were transported to, and treated at, a local hospital. Subsequent atmospheric tests taken 7 to 8 hours later, after the barge had been open for 3 to 4 hours, did not reveal an oxygen deficient atmosphere or any toxic substances.