HEMINGFORD, NEBRASKA, US — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Legacy Cooperative for two willful and 22 serious safety and health violations and proposed fines totaling $536,965.

OSHA said it found “life-threatening hazards” at the Nebraska grain cooperative’s elevator in Hemingford, Nebraska, including risks of fire and explosions due to the buildup of combustible dust and failing to maintain effective dust collection systems.

OSHA opened its investigation into the Hemingford grain elevator in March 2024 as part of the agency’s regional emphasis program for grain handling facilities in Nebraska. Among its findings, OSHA said it found Legacy Cooperative permitted more than one-eighth inch of grain dust to accumulate in priority housekeeping areas, such as in the bottom belt tunnel and around the elevator legs. The agency also said it found duct tape wrapped around the dust collection system in what it described as “a makeshift attempt to repair the dust collection system.”

Other violations included no forklift training as required, exposing workers to fall hazards due to a lack of handrails, and failing to label containers of hazardous chemicals properly.

“Grain dust fires and explosions are a well-known industry hazard, which makes Legacy Cooperative’s failure to control dust where a belt’s friction could easily cause ignition inexcusable,” said Matthew Thurlby, OSHA’s area director in Omaha, Nebraska, US. “Employers must develop company-wide safety procedures to mitigate known grain handling dangers and ensure workers are trained to recognize hazards.”

Based in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, US, Legacy Cooperative was created in 2024 through the merger of Farmers Cooperative and Panhandle Cooperative. The Hemingford elevator was operated by Farmer’s Cooperative previously.