The U.S. Department of Labor found a Mississippi farm willfully disregarded safety standards after a South African guest worker suffocated in a storage bin.
Bare Bones Farms, an agricultural farm in LeFlore County, was cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for willful violations of workplace safety regulations, according to an April 19 news release. A 19-year-old South African worker was killed inside a grain bin on the farm in October 2022 when he and three co-workers climbed into the bin to unclog it.
“Well-known safety standards that protect people from the grave dangers of working in grain bins have been in place for decades, and yet Bare Bones Farms jeopardized the lives of its employees by ignoring federal regulations,” OSHA Area Director Courtney Bohannon said in the release.
OSHA inspectors found the company failed to ensure the employees wore full-body harnesses connected to a lifeline while inside the soybean bin and didn't make sure workers de-energized equipment and machinery before entering the bin, according to the release.
OSHA also discovered the company failed to train employees on general safety precautions and didn't have a written respiratory protection program for employees required to wear a respirator, the release said. Additionally, the farm's operator was cited for not providing a medical evaluation, a fit test or training for workers required to wear respirators while loading and unloading soybeans.
OSHA proposed a fine of $90,182 for the violations, the release said.
Bare Bones Farms has 15 business days to comply with the citations and penalties, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the release reported. Employers can contact OSHA for information about compliance assistance resources and free help on complying with OSHA standards.
Grain bin safety procedures have been in place since 1988, but in 2021, 38% of reported grain engulfments resulted in fatalities because employers failed to follow required safeguards, according to the release.
