Grain firm Farmers Elevator Co., Manteno, IL, received citations for two willful and three serious violations and a fine of $205,106 from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after a worker died at its Grant Park, IL elevator, reports Powder & Bulk Solids.
The worker was fatally injured at the site after falling into a grain bin last January. OSHA inspectors determined that the company permitted employees to enter a grain bin using a ladder with rungs spaced greater than 14 inches apart and without a body harness and lifeline.
Farmers Elevator also neglected to provide rescue equipment and exposed workers to engulfment hazards while walking down grain.