Worker suffers severe injuries at Illinois grain company
A 24-year-old newly hired worker suffered multiple fractures when his leg and foot became entangled in a running mechanical auger while in a grain storage bin at Grainco FS Inc. in Newark. OSHA investigated the July 16, 2014, incident and found the company allowed hazards to exist in the grain bin. After identifying three willful and five serious safety violations, the agency proposed penalties of $241,500 and placed the company in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
"Sending this man into a grain bin with the auger running exposed him to extremely dangerous hazards," said Nick Walters, OSHA's regional administrator in Chicago. "Grainco is familiar with the precautions necessary to protect its workers, but failed to follow them."