Farmers Cooperative faces nearly $400K fine for Raymond grain bin incident

Farmers Cooperative is facing nearly $400,000 in penalties for a May incident in which a worker was trapped in a grain bin for two hours at its elevator in Raymond.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Wednesday announced it has cited the cooperative for failing to protect workers from grain bin entrapment and engulfment hazards, and is proposing $373,911 in penalties.

The citation stems from an incident that happened May 4 in which an employee at the elevator became partially trapped in a grain bin.

According to OSHA, the worker entered the bin to clear clumps of soybeans while the auger was running. As the clumped beans cleared, the grain shifted and knocked the worker off his feet. The auger drew the cleared beans to the bottom of the bin and engulfed the worker up to his chest.

Read more: http://journalstar.com/business/local/farmers-cooperative-faces-nearly-k-fine-for-raymond-grain-bin/article_a899d180-2b29-57f7-ac19-47b20567dc26.html