Farming is a dangerous occupation. Actually, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health considers it to be among the most hazardous industries with farmers being at high risk for both fatal and nonfatal accidents.

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In 2019, NIOSH says 410 farmers and farm workers died from work-related injuries. This means the fatality rate within the occupation is 19.4 deaths per 100,000 workers.

One danger that is present on the farm is the grain bin.

Sioux City Fire and Rescue Center held a training day on Monday for high school and college students that taught bin rescue and first aid techniques. One of the instructors, Sergeant Bluff fire chief Anthony Gaul spoke to KSCJ about the training.

So we're gonna be able to get to a lot of kids in our community that are around farming around ag and teaches them a little bit of safety that hopefully, they'll get here and never have to experience for real.

The students used a grain bin simulator from the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety where a student volunteer was “trapped”. The other students used tools such as a grain auger to rescue their “trapped” classmate.

via KSCJ
via KSCJ
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Keyshawn Canady was one of the students that volunteered to be the victim.

For a second, I'm not gonna lie to you it was a little terrifying but then after a while, it was nothing. Yeah, in real life I maybe would have been absolutely shocked. But no, not now. No, I've never been in like a simulation with that no.

In 2021, Iowa had the second most grain bin accidents with four documented accidents. Overall there were 29 accidents involving a grain bin with 80 percent occurring in the corn belt.

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