Buried in a bin: accident survivor emphasizes safety

^{By Troy Krause Editor}

^{Posted Jul. 20, 2015 at 12:01 AM}

Arick Baker of Eldora, Iowa knows he is lucky to be alive. He also recognizes the story he can tell of surviving being buried alive in a grain bin can be a lesson for others. His message is simple. Don’t do what he did. Take every precaution before entering a bin that still has grain inside of it, especially during the grain unloading process. Baker, who gained notoriety after an ABC program featured his buried alive account, was in Redwood Falls to speak with Redwood County Fair attendees. His presentation was made possible by Harvest Land Cooper-ative and Ag Quest. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administra-tion (OSHA), there have been more than 900 grain engulfment incidents over the past decade with a 62 percent fatality rate. It takes just five seconds to get trapped, and just 60 seconds for a trapped individual to be completely submerged. Those who die in grain bin engulfment incidents suffocate, and, according to OSHA, in those incidents they discovered those victims had breathed in a stomach full of grain. Baker said growing up on the farm he was always told if you go down in a grain bin you are going to die. So, how did this 20-something not only survive but actually spend five hours in a grain bin before he was rescued? It all has to do with the equipment Baker was wearing. Baker remembers June 26, 2013 like it was yesterday. It was a typical farm day for the family. Corn was being un-loaded from a bin on the farm, and Baker was being called to take on more of the tasks for the operation as his dad was getting older. When the grain stopped coming out, Baker went into the bin and discovered some rotting corn, which he began to poke to try and break it up. As he broke through, Baker found himself sinking in the corn. “At 10:32 a.m. I?was 18 inches deep in corn,”?he said, adding that was enough to immobilize him. As the corn continued to move, he found himself fully submerged. On a farm that emphasized safety, Baker had taken a rope with him, and he was wearing a helmet. That helmet, he said, saved his life, as it allowed space between the corn pressing in on him and his face. That created breathing room for him. By this time, it was discovered that Baker was in trouble, and rescue crews were called. Baker said he was fully submerged for two hours and 40 minutes, and it took five hours to get him out of the bin. While rescuers utilized a cofferdam as part of the effort, Baker said a hole was also cut in the bin. The issue, he said, was as the corn was flowing out of the hole the need for people to continue removing that corn existed, because it kept plugging up the hole.   Click here to read the complete article!    This program was sponsored by Harvestland at Morgan, MN durin the 2015 Redwood County Fair!