When people think about work accidents related to farming, grain silos or facilities that handle grain, they may not immediately conjure up images of an explosion. However, explosions at grain facilities, even in California, are more common than many may think because of the explosive nature of grain dust. This seems to be what happened when a work injury turned deadly for a worker inside of a grain elevator recently.
The 67-year-old man was believed to be loading grain into grain elevators inside when an explosion occurred. There were two other workers believed to be with him also. After what was described as a ‘concussion-like explosion’ all employees except for the victim was accounted for. The missing employee was said to have died from blunt force trauma.
According to experts, the dust from grain is highly explosive and authorities believe this may be the reason an explosion occurred. There is more force than fire when this kind of incident happens. Investigators involved who were trying to piece the incident together included ATF and OSHA officials.
It is reported that there are more than 500 such explosions in grain facilities across the country annually. While this particular incident remains under investigation, California and other states have strict mandates and regulations to ensure the safety and protection of workers in all lines of work, especially in the farming industry. If any farm industry or grain related work injury occurs, or a fatality results, workers and surviving dependents are normally entitled to monetary benefits that can help deal with the financial ramifications of suffering a work injury or the loss of a loved one in an on-the-job accident.
Source: Fresno Bee, “Indiana grain elevator blast kills 1 worker,” June 24, 2013