Ag Organizations Partner to Save Lives
Over the past 50 years, more than 900 cases of grain engulfment have been reported in the U.S. with a fatality rate of 62 percent. In 2017, there were 23 documented grain entrapment cases, including 9 reported falls into or from grain storage structures, 2 asphyxiations due to deficient oxygen levels or toxic environments, and 8 equipment entanglements that occurred while working inside or around agricultural confined spaces.1 The most tragic fact of all: grain engulfments are highly preventable.
Hanford Insurance and Nationwide are partnering with KC Supply Co., National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS) and many others, to increase awareness of the dangers of flowing grain and bring visibility to advancements in safety procedures and technology that can save lives through this exciting annual event.
Timed to bring safety awareness to the dangers of grain bins, a period when many farmers and grain- handling operations are planning for the upcoming season, this week-long event will raise awareness of the dangers of grain bin entry and emphasize a zero-entry mentality if proper entry procedures aren’t followed.
During the week, Dan Neenan, NECAS Director, will be on Nationwide’s social media channels sharingvaluable insight into safe bin entry procedures, grain rescue practices and more. Farmers and grain handlers should check it out!
Nominate Your Local Fire Department Rescue Tube Contest
Contest period: The contest runs from January 1 to April 30, 2019.
A popular event in conjunction with Grain Bin Safety Week (Feb. 17-23, 2019), Nationwide is again teaming up with the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS), KC Supply and others to award emergency first responders with grain rescue tubes and hands-on rescue training to help save lives.
2019 marks the sixth year of Grain Bin Safety Week and the Nominate Your Fire Department Contest. Since its inception, the contest has received nearly 2,000 nominations and has awarded grain rescue tubes and hands-on rescue training to 77 fire departments across 24 states. Three of the tubes have been used to save the lives of three individuals.
To enter, provide your name, regular mail and email addresses, the name and address of your local fire department or emergency rescue team, and one page describing how the local fire department or rescue team and rural community would benefit from grain entrapment training and rescue tube, and how they plan to share the tube and training with nearby departments. Official rules can be found at:
nationwide.com/GBSWContestRules.
Completed nominations can be emailed to agcontest@nicc.edu or mailed to: NECAS, Grain Bin Safety Contest, 8342 NICC Dr., Peosta, IA 52068.
For more information about or to participate in Grain Bin Safety Week in 2019, go to