Iowa Fines Grain Cooperative for Safety Violations After Fatal Silo Engulfment
Iowa OSHA issued 11 citations and $306,500 in penalties to East Central Iowa Cooperative in Waterloo for exposing workers to amputation and engulfment hazards. Iowa OSHA inspected the facility following a fatal incident when a worker was engulfed in flowing grain. Inspectors found that the cooperative failed to: provide workers entering grain bins with secured body harnesses; install machine guards on grain handling equipment; and train workers on proper grain bin entry conditions.