Participants in a week-long series of classes on agricultural and farming practices at the University of Iowa this week got an up close and personal view of a grain silo rescue in action Monday.
The National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS) conducted the rescue demonstration at the UI College of Public Health as part of the UI’s Great Plains Center Core Course in Agricultural Safety and Health. Professionals in agriculture, medicine, health, nursing, veterinary science, and other fields are attending the course this week.
During the demonstration, volunteers supervised by NECAS agricultural safety expert Dan Neenan, climbed into a modified silo filled with grain and demonstrated how to rescue a person from an avalanche of flowing grain, a real risk faced by farmers and others handling grain. A person can be completely buried in grain within 20 seconds, so knowing how to act fast to save lives is important for both farmers and rescue personnel.
This week’s course is designed to enable health and safety professionals with the skills needed to anticipate, recognize, and prevent occupational illnesses and injuries among members of the agricultural community.
For more information on the course, including a complete schedule of events, visit the website.
Note to editors and TV news directors:
- Mp4 video clips from the event is available for download http://focus.media.uiowa.edu/shares/mediadrop.
- Photos of the event are available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/uinews/sets/72157644930656344/
- Related: Farm tractor safety and young farmers is a subject of continuing research at the National Advanced Driving Simulatorin the University of Iowa College of Engineering. For more information on this National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health–funded work, see Protecting young farmersor contact Associate Research Scientist Timothy Brown at timothy-l-brown@uiowa.eduor 319-335-4785.