According to Purdue University, Minnesota had the most documented ag confined space related injuries and fatalities in 2019 at 13 cases. North Dakota had four documented cases. University of Minnesota Extension Rural Stress Task Force Director Emily Wilmes explains why the cases were high. “It’s hard to say for sure. I think we’re dealing with lots of different factors, but we had a very interesting planting and harvest season. Grain is out of condition.” Wilmes says farmers can be tempted to by-pass safety measures to get grain flowing. It’s important for farmers to slow down. “There’s always the chance accidents will happen. That’s why they’re accidents. We don’t plan for them to happen, but they do. Those things slow you down more than if you took the extra 30 or 60 seconds to do a safe thing.” Purdue University also says no fewer than 67 fatal and non-fatal cases were documented across the country last year, a near 10 percent increase from 2018. There were 38 grain entrapments last year. Read the full report.
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