An elevator superintendent, 41, suffocated when his lifeline tangled in an unguarded and rotating auger. OSHA investigators determined three workers, including the elevator superintendent, had been standing over the unguarded auger using a pole in an attempt to dislodge soybean debris in a grain bin that contained more than 50,000 bushels of soybeans sloped 12 to 20 feet up its walls. A federal investigation into the worker’s death found multiple violations of federal safety standards for grain handling at the facility. On Sept. 9, 2016, OSHA issued three (3) egregious willful and three (3) serious violations following its investigation of the March 16, 2016, death. From 2011 to 2015, federal inspectors cited the Nebraska farmer-owned cooperative and joint venture six times for violating grain-handling safety standards. The agency has placed the company in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program. OSHA has proposed penalties of $411,540. View current citations below…
