Bizarre accident: Worker dies after being trapped in grain bin
June 3, 2009 by Fred HosierPosted in: Bizarre Accident of the Week, confined spaces, Fatality, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Teen workers
PDF A 17-year-old worker at a grain elevator in Haswell, CO, was killed after being buried alive in a grain bin.
Police say Cody Rigsby was buried under several feet of grain inside a bin at the Tempel Grain elevator.
On the day of the incident, local emergency officials were notified at 1:30 p.m. that a worker was missing and believed trapped in the bin, according to The Pueblo Chieftain.
Four fire departments and community volunteers worked until 7 p.m. the same day to recover Rigsby’s body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It’s not known what safety equipment was being used at the time of the incident.
Workers should be trained to assume that the potential for entrapment in a bin with stored loose materials (grain, sand, gravel, coal) is always present, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Other safety steps:
- Workers shouldn’t be allowed to enter a storage area from the bottom when material is adhering to the sides or is bridged overhead.
- When workers must enter storage areas, they should stay above the material at all times and never stand or walk on top of it.
- Any time a worker enters a storage area, the supply and discharge of materials must be stopped and locked out.
- Workers entering storage areas should wear safety belts or harnesses with properly fastened life lines.
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Tags: buried alive in grain, entrapment in a bin, stored loose materials
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June 3rd, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Cody was a good friend of mine and this was a sensless tragic accident Ionly hope that His death will not be in vain and that we will implement all the proper safety procedures and get our workforce educated to ensure this tragedy never happens again. May He rest in peace
June 8th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Isaac,
These types of accidents happen too frequently. As a safety director for several Nebraska elevators I can assure you that this story will leave an impact on all of our employees. While his death was tragic and senseless let it be known that some good will come from sharing this story. It is unfortunate that the grain company that he worked for did not have the proper grain safety procedures in place. OSHA has very clear rules about grain bin entry procedures. Every year workers are killed because companies ignore these rules. I question why they had a seventeen year old performing this type of work? It is a very sad story.
June 8th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
This shouldn’t be called a bizarre accident. That gives it the connotation of never happening. As has been mentioned before, it happens all too frequently. In the midwest and plains you don’t have to go very far to find someone who is once removed from someone who died in this kind of accident. I knew a person who walked out onto a crusted over trench silo and was buried when the crust broke through.
Part of the trouble is that more people know someone who has died like this than have heard about an OSHA audit of a company they know. (until after the accident)
June 15th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
This specific type of accident happens all too often and has received significant publicity in the past. Everyone in authority at the elevator who was involved in this underage youth performing high hazard work should be prosecuted for manslaughter at the very, very minimum.
No one should ever be sent into an elevator to perform this type of operation without personal fall arrest equipment and a confined space permit system activated.
Further, since this type of accident is so prevalent, I do not understand why no one has developed a mechanical design/method to perform this type of work, rather than putting a human being at risk.
There should be no excuses.
I pity the boy’s parents that went along with having him work illegally (due to age and high hazard) at this operation. The guilt - and anger - will be tremendous.
Occupational Safety and Health Program Coordinator
CCBC
June 29th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Yes, I agree with the previous posts, definately could have titled this story more appropriately. It was not bizarre at all. It was a tragic and predictable accident which would have been prevented if the proper procedures were put in place.
July 24th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
John Maynard,
The mother: Veronica Rigsby, was very angered by the incident as well as emotional because of the rules that were ignored. The worst part was that this was her second son lost in less than 2 years.
June 14th, 2010 at 11:57 pm
Do you have to manually turn the tumbler or do they make automatic ones?