Inspection Detail

Inspection: 111632469 - Farmers Coop Elevator Co., Houston

Inspection Information - Office: Minnesota Department Of Labor And Industry

Investigation Summary

On the morning of April 16, 1990, Employee #1 and two other newly hired feed mill employees were working in a feed mill where either whole soy bean balancer or dairy concentrate was being bagged. Employee #1 told his two coworkers that he was going to shovel some beans and left. The coworkers finished bagging the order, swept the floor, and waited for Employee #1 to return. When Employee #1 did not return, a search was initiated for him by all other employees but he could not be located. It was observed that the product flow from this soy bean balancer bin was only trickling and the lower outlet was opened. The assistant manager probed the outlet opening and reached up and felt shoes. Metal bars were obtained and the floor of the wooden bin was ripped open. The grain flowed onto the floor and Employee #1 could be seen inside the 10 ft high, 5 ft wide, and 10 ft long wooden bin. An outside salesman on the premises who was a first responder obtained his medical kit; two coworkers assisted him in removing Employee #1 from the bin. The ambulance arrived, but efforts to revive Employee #1 failed. The medical examiner stated that his windpipe was blocked with grain and that he had died of suffocation. No formal bin entry procedure had been established by this employer.

Keywords: THROAT, SUFFOCATED, GRAIN, WORK RULES, FEED MILL, GRAIN BIN