Grain bin safety: How to limit risk and what’s being done to prevent accidents

BEATRICE, Neb. - The farming industry has no shortage of challenges - and therefore, not shortage of hazards either. 

One of the biggest hazards: grain bins. Something that presents a risk each and every time a farmer enters one. 

“Every year there’s another thing on the news of entrapments and people getting stuck in grain bins… Anytime thee is flowing grain or there’s been grain removed, you never really know what’s beneath. 

Brian Dein is the owner of F3 Ag Services in Beatrice. F3 also serves as the BinAssist Network Partner for Nebraska and Kansas with the Grain Weevil Corporation. He says understanding when a grain bing may be dangerous is tricky, because they always present risk. A few tell tale signs include crusty grain or grain that appears damp or moist. But it’s best to always be harnessed when entering a grain bin, and always be aware of the dangers. 

“Visually looking at it, not a lot [of dangers can be seen],” Dein said. “But there’s still that risk beneath you don’t know about.”

Dein and the team at F3 are continuing to work on ways to prevent farmers from needing to enter grain bins. 

“Forever, people have gone in the bins - to break up a crust, level it off, check it for heat or moisture,” Dein said. “It’s not typically on accident, but it’s usually farmers going in to check on their grain and we’re trying to prevent that.”

A device that’s aiming to prevent grain bin accidents is their Grain Weevil robot. It’s an autonomous, surface-operating robot designed to improve grain bin safety and management.

“We can go in, level off beings, break off crusts with the robot and never have to go in the bin at all,” Dein said. “We can do all the work a human can do, but never have to go inside the bin.”