NY Farm Bureau Reminds Agricultural Communities: Grain Bin Safety Week is Feb. 16-22
Nationwide opens 12th annual Nominate Your Fire Department Contest; winners receive a grain rescue tube and rescue training session
Albany, NY — New York Farm Bureau (NYFB), together with partner Nationwide, announces Grain Bin Safety Week will be held Feb. 16-22, 2025. Initiated by Nationwide in 2014, Grain Bin Safety Week is an annual campaign recurring the third full week of February to promote grain bin safety on farms and commercial grain-handling facilities.
As the leading cause of agricultural confined space–related incidents, grain bin entrapments continue to pose very serious dangers to farm workers across rural America. In just four seconds, an adult can sink knee-deep in flowing grain. To raise awareness of these dangers and prevent tragic accidents in grain structures, Nationwide has opened its 12th annual Nominate Your Fire Department Contest in recognition of Grain Bin Safety Week. The contest aims to supply fire departments across rural America with the specialized rescue training and equipment needed to respond if an entrapment occurs. Since the program’s inception, Nationwide and partners have awarded 16 grain rescue tubes to New York, and a total of 390 grain rescue tubes to first responders across 32 states, providing nearly $2 million in resources.
The Nominate Your Fire Department Contest is open until April 30, 2025. Winners each receive one grain rescue tube, valued at $3,000 to $5,000, and one six-hour grain entrapment rescue training session, at the winner’s location, valued at up to $5,000. To nominate your local fire department, visit www.GrainBinSafetyWeek.com and click on “Learn about nominating.”
Startling facts: Grain bin injuries and fatalities
According to Purdue University’s Summary of U.S. Agricultural Confined Space-Related Injuries and Fatalities:
- In 2023, at least 27 grain entrapments were reported. There were 16 fatalities (15 in 2022).
- More than 300 grain entrapments have been recorded in the past decade. It’s estimated an additional 30% of cases go unreported.
- In four seconds, an adult can sink knee-deep in flowing grain and be rendered unable to free themselves without assistance. In just 20 seconds, an adult can be fully engulfed.
- Suffocation from engulfment or oxygen-deficient atmospheres is the leading cause of death in grain accidents.
“We applaud Nationwide for making critical resources available to firefighters, especially in situations when seconds count. New York Farm Bureau understands the dangers farmers face every day, so by bringing attention to this issue, we hope to mitigate these dangers,” said NYFB Director of Communications Amanda Powers. “By providing essential tools and training, Nationwide is truly making a difference in the agricultural community.”
According to Nationwide, the program led to six successful rescues last year and a total of 13 lives saved since 2014.
To learn more about Grain Bin Safety Week, visit www.GrainBinSafetyWeek.com.
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New York Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general agricultural advocacy organization. Its members and the public know the organization as “The Voice of New York Agriculture.” New York Farm Bureau is dedicated to solving the economic and public policy issues challenging the agricultural community.
