A Michigan man was rescued Wednesday after he fell into a corn storage silo in Isabella County, officials said.
The Mt. Pleasant Fire Department responded to a request for technical rescue in a grain bin entrapment in northeastern Isabella County at around 7:31 a.m. Wednesday. The fire department arrived to assist the Isabella Northeast Fire Department and Mobile Medical Response in the rescue.
Firefighters entered the corn silo, removed corn from around the victim, and installed a shoring container. It took around three hours to extricate the victim, the fire department said.
The victim was pulled to safety at 10:44 a.m. Although he did not sustain any major injuries, he was transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
The MPFD said it is investigating the incident.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Labor, says grain bins and silos "pose many dangers."
"Farmworkers are exposed to suffocation or engulfment hazards when working with grain bins and silos, as well as grain dust exposures and explosions," the agency says. "Moving grain acts like 'quicksand' and can bury a worker in seconds. 'Bridged' grain and vertical piles of stored grain can also collapse unexpectedly if a worker stands on or near it." Bridging occurs when grain clumps together, creating empty pockets beneath.
According to a report from Purdue University's Agricultural Safety and Health Program, there were 42 grain-related entrapments in 2022, the last year for which data are available, representing a 44.8% increase over 2021.
"This was the highest number of reported grain entrapments in over a decade," the university said in a press release reporting their findings. Researchers say a big driver of entrapments is out-of-condition grain.
"Many entrapments result from someone entering a bin or structure to break loose clumped, spoiled grain," said report co-author Edward Sheldon. "Keep the grain in good condition to eliminate the need to enter the bin."
--with reporting by TMX
