Silo safety: Protecting yourself and your livelihood

We’ve spoken over the past few months about taking proactive measures to ensure the quality and integrity of your grain stores, and how you can keep stores protected against moisture, mould and pests. But what about your safety, as the grain handler?

The team at Optimum Silos work with clientele to ensure that not only are their livelihoods protected, but so too are their lives each day when they head out to work.

THE ONLY STAIRS THAT MEET AUSSIE STANDARDS

You may be surprised to find this out, but the Optimum-engineered silo stairs are the only stairs on the market that meet Australian Safety Standards. Safety is at the absolute core of our design process when it comes to engineering silo features and components; and this goes for access ladders too.

ZERO SILO ENTRY

As we’re working with quantities and weights in the hundreds of tonnes when handling and storing grain, potentially the most critical component to ensuring safety is zero silo entry; setting up a storage system that does not require you to enter the bin.

Proper aeration and sealing will reduce the need for you to enter your silo, as the stores will be manageable from the outside. Proper signage for all who will be working with and around your storage systems is also important, to ensure everyone is aware of safety precautions.

While zero silo entry isn’t mandatory for grain handlers, it certainly is something to strive towards. By working with you closely, our team will be able to understand your storage needs, and find a solution that is customised to your operation, while seeking to minimise silo entry.

UNLOADING AUGERS DESIGNED FOR SAFETY

Optimum Engineered Augers are designed with the safety of the end user in mind. Our custom engineered augers have two large centre sump openings for high capacity, which are level with the silo floor.

Roller bearings under the slide gates allow the sumps to open easily, meaning grain will flow more easily into the auger. The unique walking mechanism fitted to our sweep augers is effective in all grain times, and is in place to drive the augers around the silo; working better than a wheeled sweep would.

The walker also moves slowly in an empty silo, meaning if it is accidentally switched on when someone is in the silo, there is a much lower likelihood of serious injury.

RECIRCULATION SYSTEMS

Fumigating grain stores is widely considered an integral piece in preserving grain quality and integrity. A fumigation recirculation system will allow you to fumigate, using phosphine from the ground, with no access into the silo required. In this way the fumigation process is made much safer for grain handlers, who aren’t directly exposed to potentially toxic fumigants.

More than five decades experience working with grain equipment has given our design and manufacturing team expertise in not only handling and storage grain, but ensuring your operation is as safe as possible when doing so.

If you’re interested in having the safety of your grain storage and handling operation assessed, or are ready to invest in the country’s leading grain handling equipment, get in touch with the Optimum Silos team today.