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Nationwide urges grain bin safety and rescue tubes

For the sixth year, a major farm insurer is promoting rescue tubes for people trapped in grain bins during this Grain Bin Safety Week.

Brad Liggett, president of Nationwide Agribusiness says there are way too many grain bin accidents and they are on the rise. Wet grain has caused issues where crusting occurs and pockets of air are trapped. 

The best thing to do is call 911 and get the fire department to bring a rescue tube, “And create a tube around the trapped person. There’s a little auger that runs off the drill that we basically just auger the grain out. The tube goes around the individual, we extract the person out of the bin, get them to the hospital.”

Ligget says the tube is by far the best rescue tool, “The biggest mistake that happened for years was people thought, ‘well here’s what we should do, cut a hole in the side of the bin.’ It’s actually the WORST possible thing you can do because now massive amounts of grain will move to that hole, it’ll suck the trapped person further in.”

If farmers have to go in a grain bin, Liggett says they should, lock out, tag out; get in a harness; don’t go in alone; have someone up top; tie off with a safety rope.

Liggett says Nationwide has partnered with the National Education Center for Ag Safety to provide more than 100 tubes to fire departments in 26 states in the last five years.