FARMERS COOP ELEVATOR CO., HOUSTON

Employee dies of suffocation in grain bin

On the morning of April 16, 1990, Employee #1 and two other newly hired feed mil l employees were working in a feed mill where either whole soy bean balancer or dairy concentrate was being bagged. Employee #1 told his two coworkers that he w as going to shovel some beans and left. The coworkers finished bagging the order , swept the floor, and waited for Employee #1 to return. When Employee #1 did no t return, a search was initiated for him by all other employees but he could not be located. It was observed that the product flow from this soy bean balancer b in was only trickling and the lower outlet was opened. The assistant manager pro bed the outlet opening and reached up and felt shoes. Metal bars were obtained a nd the floor of the wooden bin was ripped open. The grain flowed onto the floor and Employee #1 could be seen inside the 10 ft high, 5 ft wide, and 10 ft long w ooden bin. An outside salesman on the premises who was a first responder obtaine d his medical kit; two coworkers assisted him in removing Employee #1 from the b in. The ambulance arrived, but efforts to revive Employee #1 failed. The medical examiner stated that his windpipe was blocked with grain and that he had died o f suffocation. No formal bin entry procedure had been established by this employ er.