The Ultimate Harvest Ready Guide: Broken down into four sections, Machinery and Equipment, People, Emergency Management, and Record Keeping.
Grain augers are among the most hazardous pieces of equipment found on a farm. The swiftly rotating metal spiral flight mechanism has the potential to propel a finger or hand up to 1.5 meters away from the operator before the injured individual has a chance to react.
Other components such as outside casing are regularly involved in electric shock or tipping-over accidents, and moving parts such as cranking handles, drive chains and belts also contribute to injury.
An auger is a piece of equipment utilised in the farming industry. Primarily augers are used to move grain from a silo to transportation such as trucks or feed cart and have hazardous parts that can cause serious injury and even death. Using grain augers can lead to injuries like hand, arm, foot, and leg entanglement in unguarded auger flights, which happen often.
What are the risks?
The risk of electrocution for operators and bystanders significantly increases when augers are operated or maneuvered in proximity to overhead power lines. This dangerous situation arises because the equipment can inadvertently come into contact with the electrical lines, leading to severe consequences. It is important for operators to maintain a safe distance from these power lines and to be aware of their surroundings to prevent any accidents that could result in serious injury or even fatality.
Hearing damage can happen when individuals, whether they are the operators or nearby bystanders, are subjected to harmful noise levels generated by the use of augers and motors. This exposure to excessive sound can lead to significant auditory issues, making it crucial to be aware of the noise levels produced during such operations.
According to Farmsafe and the National Farm Injury Data Centre, the use of grain augers within Australia results in 1 death and 16 workers’ compensation claims, on average each year. As everyday farm work is completed by self-employed farmers and their families, there will most likely be many more injuries that are not included in the official workers’ compensation figures.
It is estimated that around 60 serious injuries involve farm augers each year, most of those injuries are crush injuries or amputation of fingers, hands, arms and feet. These injuries are caused when limbs are caught in the unguarded auger flight. Common auger injuries also include electrocution due to overhead powerlines and lacerations.
As most farms that handle grain have at least one grain-auger, many farm workers and their families are exposed to the risk of injury. But some simple safety checks and effective guarding would help to prevent these serious injuries.
Always ensure all guarding is in place. There is an inner guard permanently fitted over the flighting and an outer guard.
The inner guard must be in place when the grain auger is being used. Inner guards are usually permanently fixed to the grain auger.
The outer guard is generally made of mesh and must be in a secured position when using a hopper and, so far as is reasonably practicable, for all other uses.
Where it is not reasonably practicable to use the outer guard and it is removed, for example when the grain auger is being used in a silo with a narrow chute that the guard will not fit into, ensure people are not directly exposed to the auger flighting during operation. In these situations it may be necessary to provide an alternative outer guard. Be sure to replace the outer guard when operations are finished and don't forget to keep your machinery maintenance records up to date.
Useful resources:
Topics: Keep Safe around Grain
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