OSHA Fines Gavilon Grain $507K for Storage Bin Deaths

The operator of a Kansas grain bin is facing hefty penalties from U.S. occupational safety regulators after two workers died after becoming engulfed by soybeans in a storage vessel. 

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced several citations were issued to Gavilon Grain LLCfor its role in the deaths at the Wichita, KS facility. The agency fined the company $507,374.

“Moving grain acts like quick sand, and can bury a worker in seconds,” OSHA Regional Administrator Kimberly Stille said in a statement. “This tragedy could have been prevented if the employer had provided workers with the proper safety equipment, and followed the required safety procedures to protect workers from grain bin hazards.”

The company was cited for several repeat, serious, and willful violations of workplace safety regulations, including failure to protect employees from grain engulfment hazards related to entering grain bins.

OSHA said Gavilon is contesting the citations and plans to discuss the matter at a meeting of the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

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