KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US — The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is expanding a regional emphasis program (REP) that addresses worker safety in the grain handling and storage industry. The Missouri program is identical to those already in place in Kansas and Nebraska.

OSHA said preventable injuries and unchecked hazards continue to be a serious concern for workers in the region. Between Oct. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2023, OSHA responded to three fatalities, 13 reported amputations and 36 hospitalizations among industry workers in the three states alone. 

During that period, the agency completed 104 inspections, including 68 in Kansas, 28 in Nebraska and eight in Missouri, and received 131 complaints or referrals about unsafe conditions in the grain handling industry. 

An REP uses a combination of outreach and enforcement activities to educate employers and workers about hazards, and to identify and correct workplace hazards in high-risk industries. This grain handling REP, announced Oct. 2, will be in place through Sept. 30, 2029.

“The tragic toll of preventable deaths and injuries in the grain handling industry highlights the severe dangers workers face when safety regulations are ignored,” said Billie A. Kizer, regional administrator for OSHA in Kansas City. “With this regional emphasis program, OSHA can target high-risk worksites, pushing employers to tackle the root causes of worker injuries and prioritize safety as a core business value.”

Hazards at grain handling facilities are well documented and include dangers related to fires and explosions if combustible dust ignites, engulfment, confined spaces, falls, auger entanglements, electrical shock and electrocution, struck-by incidents, and those related to rail car operations, OSHA said.

The expanded five-year program targets industry employers with grain elevators, grain storage and milling operations, and those engaged in animal feed production, farm machinery, and equipment repair or maintenance.