SPRINGFIELD Ill. (WAND) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expecting this year to be a bin buster harvest for corn and soybean farmers here in Illinois. 

While a banner harvest is reason to celebrate, the USDA is also reminding farmers and farm workers to be careful working in and around grain bins.

Michael Kleinik, director of the Illinois Department of Labor, said, "As the busy harvest season continues, it is vital that farmers and other agricultural workers put safety first, especially when working around grain-storage facilities."

According to Purdue University's Agricultural Safety and Health Program, last year alone, there were 38 cases of grain entrapment nationwide; 23 of those cases resulted in deaths. 

Dave Newcomb, Agriculture Program Manager with the Illinois Fire Service Institute in Champaign, reports that Illinois has had 11-grain entrapment cases already this year, four of which were deadly. 

Newcomb said a late harvest and wet conditions last year caused problems this spring. 

When wet grain clumps together, it backs up the proper flow through the unloading systems, causing workers to enter the bins to rectify the situation.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a worker standing on moving grain will be trapped within just five seconds and completely covered in grain within less than half a minute.

OSHA details the three most common scenarios leading to grain entrapment:

• A worker stands on moving/flowing grain typically caused by an auger running or grain being forced out of the bin by gravity.

• A worker stands on or below a grain bridging situation. Bridging happens when damp grain clumps together, creating a space beneath the grain as it is unloaded. A worker above or below this bridge of grain is at risk should the bridge collapse.

• A worker stands next to an accumulated pile of grain on the side of the bin and attempts to dislodge it. It can collapse onto the worker.

Workers should avoid entering grain bins if possible and take extra safety measures to reduce the risk if they have no other choice but to enter. 

"If farmers shut off the loading systems before entering and do enforce a lock-out tag-out system, we'd probably cut the numbers of entrapments in half," said Newcomb. "If the grain has the ability to move, it will grab you. When I am working with the Illinois Farm Bureau, I preach that we must break the culture of working alone. If you are going out to the bin, take someone with you even if it's just to call for help."