Be Part of the Ultimate Safety & Compliance Community
Trending news, knowledge-building content, and more – all personalized to you!
Grain handling facilities, as defined by the OSHA Grain Handling Standard, include: grain elevators, feed mills, flour mills, rice mills, dust pelletizing plants, dry corn mills, soybean flaking operations, and the dry grinding operations of soy cake. There are numerous safety and health hazards associated with grain handling operations. Suffocation and falls are the two leading causes of deaths at grain handling facilities. Other hazards include fires, explosions, electrocutions, and injuries from improperly guarded machinery. Exposures to grain dust and associated airborne contaminants can also occur; such contaminants include molds, chemical fumigants, and gases associated with decaying and/or fermenting silage.
Section 1910.272 contains requirements for the control of grain dust fires and explosions, and certain other safety hazards associated with grain handling facilities. It applies in addition to all other relevant provisions of Part 1910 (or Part 1917 at marine terminals).
Note: The appendices to 1910.272 serve as nonmandatory guidelines to assist employers and employees in complying with the requirements of 1910.272, as well as to provide other helpful information.
Employers must: