Mississippi farm cited in teen worker’s grain bin suffocation

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed $90,182 in fines against a Mississippi farm following the October 2022 death of a South African teenage worker who suffocated inside a grain bin. 

OSHA on Tuesday announced it cited Greenwood-based Bare Bones Farms for willfully violating federal law by failing to ensure workers wore full body harnesses connected to lifelines while working inside soybean bins.

The teenager was among three South African citizens brought to work at the farm under a federal agriculture workers visa program.

The 19-year-old had climbed into the grain bin to unclog it when the soybeans shifted, causing the worker to be trapped and ultimately suffocate.

OSHA said the company failed to train employees on general safety precautions, including preventive measures for entering grain bins and protocol to de-energize equipment before entering machinery.

The farm was also cited for serious violations for not having a proper respiratory protection program for workers and for failing to provide medical evaluations, fit tests or training for workers who are required to wear respirators.

The company has 15 days to contest the citations.