34-year-old worker suffocates after he’s engulfed by corn in Nebraska silo, feds say

A 34-year-old worker was trying to clean out a grain silo before fall harvest in Nebraska when he was engulfed by corn, according to federal authorities.

He suffocated in the corn on Sept. 12, prompting the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to open an investigation into his death.

Investigators with OSHA found that the man’s employer — CHS Inc., operating as Agri-Service Center Roseland — failed to follow federal regulations that might have prevented the worker fatality, according to a March 10 news release.

“We express our deepest condolences to the family,” a company spokesperson said in an email to McClatchy News. “We are reviewing the citations from OSHA and will reserve further comment at this time.”

Authorities said the employee’s “personal protective equipment was not adequate for protection from engulfment hazards,” and he was not equipped with “an adequate body harness and lifeline that co-workers could have used to rescue him.”

“Inspectors discovered the company kept a retractable lifeline tripod on-site, a device not designed for side entry onto grain, and had no adequate alternative method available to protect workers in silos,” according to the release.

Agri-Service Center Roseland received 16 citations in connection to:

• allowing workers to enter grain bins with build-up
• failing to establish procedures for entering confined spaces
• not having emergency services available on site
• failing to train workers and evaluate hazards
• failing to use procedures that prevent grain equipment from running while employees are inside

The company faces $531,268 in penalties, records show, and has been placed in a Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

“The dangers of working inside grain bins are well-known and safety standards have been in place for decades. Despite our continued outreach and enforcement activity in this highly hazardous industry, we continue to see preventable fatalities,” OSHA Area Director Matthew Thurlby said in the release. “Agri-Service Center Roseland should know that safety standards and proper training, procedures, and equipment can make the difference between life and death. Expediency should never be put ahead of worker safety.”

Agri-Service Center Roseland has 15 days from when it was notified of the citations to either comply, request a meeting with OSHA or contest the findings.

Roseland is about 120 miles southwest of Lincoln.

This story was originally published March 13, 2023 at 11:46 AM with the headline "34-year-old worker suffocates after he’s engulfed by corn in Nebraska silo, feds say."