OSHA cites Midwest Grain & Barge Co. for exposing workers to grain-handling hazards at Missouri site

Employer name: First Missouri Terminals Inc. operating as Midwest Grain & Barge Company Inc.
179 Rushing Road, Scott City, Missouri 63780                                

Citations issued: May 19, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s

St. Louis Area Office cited Midwest Grain & Barge Company Inc. for 11 serious and two other-than-serious violations. The citations are the result of a March 2016 investigation initiated after OSHA received a complaint alleging workers were exposed to multiple grain-handling hazards.

The inspectors found:

• Lack of confined space entry procedures for grain bins including testing the atmosphere, issuing permits, monitoring workers and training.
• Equipment was not powered down or locked out to prevent unintentional operation prior to workers entering grain bins.
• Workers were not trained at least annually on safe grain handling procedures.
• Equipment and training were not provided for grain rescue operations.
• Workers were exposed to fall hazards from floor openings, platforms lacking guardrails and open-sided work platforms.
• Workers were not trained about hazardous chemicals in use in the facility or safe handling of such products.
• Personal protective equipment needs were not evaluated.
• Store rooms, service rooms and passage ways were not kept clean and orderly.

Quote: “Grain handling can be a hazardous operation. The ever-present risks of suffocation, amputation, being crushed, falling or explosion can dangerous and, in worst cases, deadly. OSHA’s grain-handling standards address the hazards found in grain bins. These common sense safety standards exist to protect workers on the job in this hazardous industry. It’s up to employers to do the right thing and follow them,” said Bill McDonald, OSHA’s area director in St. Louis.

First Missouri Terminals Inc. is based in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Proposed Penalties:  $42,000

View Citations here.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s St. Louis Area Office at 314-425-4249.