South American Agriculture Adopts Technology
Agriculture is a challenging profession. Its dangers and risks occur throughout the world and are not isolated to a single country or region.
Starting in 1969, Brazil began keeping detailed statistics on agro-industrial accidents. It was disclosed that nearly 18% of all industrial workers (including ag professionals) suffered accidents. Preventive measures helped reduce that to 3.84% in 1984.
Research in the United States shows that 70% of silo or bin entrapments happen on smaller family farms. While South American statistics are not available for this type of injury, it’s safe to make the comparison.
The Need for Scaling Up Safety Alongside Growth
As the world’s third-largest grain producer, Brazil continues to catch up to the U.S. on storage capacity. But the country experienced a storage deficit of 70 million tons in 2018, putting it on the fast track to build additional silo and bin storage.
“The governments of South and Central America are looking for ways to make grain storage safer and more efficient,” said Luis Anton, BinMaster Sales Manager for Central and Latin America. “Technologically, BinMaster sensors can really bring agricultural operations to a much higher level.”
BinMaster sensors and software virtually eliminate daily trips up the ladder of a silo or bin to measure levels of material. Whether it`s grain, powder, seed, or liquid, reliable inventory numbers come from a variety of sensors usually mounted on the top or sides of a silo. Those sensors send accurate inventory data to a cloud report that farmers can access from their internet-ready phones or computer. The sensors also send signals to lights or horns to alert workers and drivers that a silo is too low or too high in inventory.
How Big a Problem is Silo Entrapment?
Between 2018 and 2019, grain entrapments in the U.S. rose by 27% and deaths rose by 53%.
Some say that grain moisture content was damper than usual that year, causing out-of-condition grain. More wet than usual, the grain clumped and stuck to the sides of silos. It formed a crust over the top—known as bridging—making grain flow less freely and farmers more likely to enter the bins to keep grain moving.
Silos can hold anywhere from 1,000 to 2 million bushels. One foot of grain can create about 300 pounds of pressure. Even when a couple of feet of grain surround a person, it takes a lot of strength to lift someone out.
According to OSHA, a person in a bin has only two seconds to react once grain starts flowing beneath them. Entrapment can occur in four to five seconds—and full engulfment in 22 seconds.
U.S. Statistics:
> 2017: 23 grain entrapments with 12 deaths
> 2018: 30 grain entrapments with 15 deaths
> 2019: 38 grain entrapments with 23 deaths
Falls from Ladders
Official suspect that falls from ladders are more prevalent, but under-reported. According to the Canadian Agriculture Safety Association, in Alberta alone, 74 lost-time injuries were experienced due to falls off of silo ladders.
How Technology Can Reduce Silo Injuries & Deaths
Occupational safety and health training in Brazil and other countries tend to focus on worker behavior to reduce injuries, but technology can play a big part.
Getting workers off of silo ladders and out of silos is easily accomplished. BinMaster`s point-level bin indicators and continuous sensors make this possible.