At 1:00 a.m. on October 23, 2022, an employee climbed into a barley germination tank at a malt manufacturing facility. The turning auger arm inside of the tank was not working so the employee climbed into the tank using a portable ladder. The employee intended to shovel some wet germinating grain away from the vertical helixes to help troubleshoot why the turning arm was not functioning. A coworker in maintenance witnessed the employee entering the tank. The employee started shoveling grain when he told the coworker that he could not breathe.
