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Grain bin safety reminders

Harvest is a hectic time of year.  Steve Wettschurack, a Purdue Extension farm safety expert says farmers can take extra steps during this time of year to avoid accidents in grain bins.  According to Wettschurack, almost 90 percent of grain entrapments can be eliminated with two simple rules:  first, don’t work alone and secondly, do not enter grain bins when unloading augers are running.  He says with a 12 inch auger it only takes 15 seconds for the grain to be at your waist, 30 seconds for it to be over your head and within a minute a farmer could be buried six feet under the grain.

Wettschurack says Indiana has not seen a grain bin-related fatality this year, however, many accidents occur during the harvest season and farmers should do what they can to remain alert.

AUDIO: Steve Wettschurack, Grain Bin Safety (5:21mp3)