Worker Bamboozled by Peanuts

As reported by Fred Hosier at SafetyNewsAlert.com, here is yet another tale of a worker falling victim at his job. This time, a worker at Birdsong Peanuts in Suffolk, VA fell into a 50-foot tall storage tank filled with peanuts as he was checking the level of the nuts with a co-worker. The poor fellow was submerged 15 feet under the nuts by the time rescue workers arrived. Firefighters were able to get a self-contained breathing apparatus to the man as they were concerned he may suffocate buried under the peanuts. Luckily, the worker was eventually able to climb down a ladder on his own and seems to be fine.

Unfortunately, workers becoming entrapped in storage facilities that hold grains and similar materials is something that happens more often than you'd like to think. In related news, OSHA recently sent a letter to Grain Storage Facility Operators that clearly outlines the responsibilities of the storage facility operators to keep workers safe.