On February 4, news providers in the Twin Cities reported the dramatic eight-hour rescue of a man in Farmington (Minnesota) trapped past his chest in a silo filled with corn. Due to the careful efforts of a number of emergency responders, the man was pulled out – safe and alive.
What’s frustrating about this story isn’t the incredible work done by the fire departments. It’s that it happened at all. Any type of bin holding loose material is a known hazard. The material can form an apparently solid crust across the top, hiding voids below. Step down onto that crust, and you’ll quickly be engulfed by the material. OSHA considers these spaces permit-required confined spaces and mandates that anyone enter them take steps to avoid just this kind of near-tragedy.