Kankakee Times

State Sen. Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) wants to prevent serious injuries and fatalities on farms and has urged his constituents to be safe in and around grain bins by raising awareness for Grain Bin Safety Week. 

Joyce, who serves as chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has joined other officials in reminding people who work on farms to be careful.

"There is a responsibility that comes with living in rural areas, we have to continue to take care of friends and neighbors," Joyce said in a press release. "With delayed emergency response times, it is crucial to review all safety precautions."

According to the press release, Illinois lead the nation in 2020 in grain bin and elevator rescues when fire departments across the state responded to a dozen rescues. 

"Often times we become complacent when doing tasks we have done a thousand times and for farmers that often means working in and around grain bins," Jerry Costello II, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, said in the release. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers some safety tips for people who work in grain handling facilities. This advice includes powering off and locking powered equipment in the grain bin, forbid walking down grain to make it flow, wearing a secured body harness while inside the bin, and having an observer. 

"Unfortunately, problems involving flowing grain can snowball quickly," Costello added. "That's why it's important to set aside time to go over safety measures, to prepare farmers for a potential grain bin emergency."

According to a report from Perdue University, Illinois had the highest number of documented grain entrapments in the country in 2020 when there were 35 documented incidents across the country.

Farm workers are required to attend safety training which aims to give them the tools to safely navigate working in grain bins, according to Freedom 92.9.

Grain Bin Safety week runs from February 20-26.