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Michigan hosts grain bin and manure pit safety and rescue demos
Michigan agricultural groups want first responders and farmers to be better trained for two of the most dangerous scenarios on farms.
Charles Gould with Michigan State University Extension says preparing for a farm rescue can be lifesaving.
“Every second counts,” he says. “We need to make sure that our first responders are familiar with and have training on how to react when somebody has been in a manure pit and is overcome by gases or when they’re in a grain bin and have been engulfed or overcome.”
Gould says a grain bin engulfment last month in Kalamazoo County is a stark reminder of why safety and rescue training is necessary.
“You don’t work around these systems or go in these systems unless you have the right equipment, and if you’ve got a buddy and ropes in place,” he says.
Michigan State University says 19 people died on farms from nearly 400 work-related farm injuries in 2021. Dairy farms had the highest number of injuries, followed by livestock and grain farms.
The Michigan Farm Bureau, Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan, MSU Extension, and Michigan Corn are sponsoring three free safety trainings next week across the state put on by the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety.
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