Current Grain Storage and Safety Practices of Ohio Cash Grain Operators

Hazards associated with grain storage facilities are a contributing factor to agricultural injuries and are a perpetual problem for Ohio farmers, especially as on-farm grain storage facilities continue to grow in popularity with producers. To establish effective injury prevention programs, safety professionals must first understand how the industry operates, the culture of the workers, and the current practices used to avoid injuries. This research project was designed to bridge the gap between what is currently known about the hazards that exist on Ohio's farms, specifically how safety and health information is incorporated at the grain handling and storage facilities. Using a four-part survey, 182 cash grain operators, comprising a convenience sample of farmers attending educational events, were surveyed to determine the type of grain storage and handling facilities used on their farms, the occurrence of out-of-condition grain, and the health and safety factors practiced at these facilities, including their knowledge about potential hazards. Results indicated that the farmers preferred to get safety knowledge from a course or seminar (53.6%) or by reading a magazine or periodical (38.8%). The surveyed farmers indicated that they had higher knowledge of the safety risks of out-of-condition grain than of the health effects from exposure to out-of-condition grain (p < 0.01). They identified personal protective equipment (PPE) as their primary measure to prevent injuries, with the top PPE items being respirators, safety glasses, hearing protection, and gloves. Farmers who encountered out-of-condition grain reported more employees on their farms compared to the other farmers in the sample and reported higher use of PPE. While these results cannot be generalized to Ohio's entire population of cash grain farmers, they provide a good understanding of the on-farm grain storage and management practices, which will allow a more targeted intervention plan, both in better engineering controls and in future outreach programs.