The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a Nebraska Dairy Company after an employee was fatally injured when he entered a grain bin.

Thiele Dairy in Nebraska was cited for failing to develop and implement safety and health programs related to grain bin entry. An employee’s leg was lacerated by an operating sweep auger when he entered a grain bin to remove corn at the company’s Clearwater, NE, dairy.

They received eight serious violations and one other-than-serious violation for failing to report the fatality within eight hours, as is required. They face penalties totaling $78,899.

They received a serious citation because there was no medical facility nearby and employees were not trained to perform and render first aid. They failed to implement an emergency action plan, failed to properly train employees who were involved in grain handling about the hazards of such tasks, failed to ensure the bin entry safety observer was trained in rescue procedures such as notification methods, failed to issue an entry permit for entering bins and silos, and failed to disconnect mechanical and electrical equipment that could have posed a hazard prior to employees entering bins. They also failed to ensure the bins were free of combustible gases before entry, failed to ensure an observer was stationed outside of the bin being entered by another employee, and failed to provide rescue equipment suited for the bins.

“Mechanical equipment inside grain storage structures present serious hazards that are well-known in this industry,” said OSHA Area Office Acting Director Matthew Thurlby, in Omaha. “This employer’s failure to follow safety requirements led to a tragedy that could have been prevented.”

View the full list of citations here.

Read the press release from OSHA here.