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Silo and Storage Structure Safety

Silos, bins and storage buildings are among the most dangerous places on a farm for a child. This guide covers how to keep young people out and where to find expert help.

Why are storage structures dangerous for children?

Silos, grain bins, sheds and storage tanks can contain flowing material, poor air, heights and machinery. A child may see a ladder or an open door as an invitation, with no idea of what lies inside.

Many of the hazards cannot be seen. Air quality, shifting contents and moving equipment are all invisible from the doorway. For that reason the safest rule for children is simple: they do not enter and they do not climb.

Fatal and serious incidents involving storage structures often happen quickly. The speed is part of why prevention, not rescue, must be the focus of every family plan.

What are the main hazards in general terms?

Stored grain and feed can flow and bury a person. Silage can give off gases. Enclosed spaces can have too little breathable air. Ladders and platforms add fall risk, and augers or conveyors inside can start without warning.

This guide does not describe technical limits or procedures. For the details, see OSHA's agriculture pages and the NIOSH agriculture pages, which cover grain handling, confined spaces and related hazards.

Tanks and manure or feed storage areas can carry their own dangers. Treat every enclosed or elevated structure on your farm as off limits to children until a trained person says otherwise, and read the official guidance for the specific structure you own.

• Entrapment in flowing or settled material
• Falls from ladders and platforms
• Poor air or harmful gases
• Moving augers and conveyors

How do you stop children from getting in?

Limit access physically. Lock doors and hatches, fit ladder guards or remove lower ladder sections where the manufacturer allows it, and fence the area around bins and silos. A gate that closes on its own helps when adults forget.

Make locks part of your routine. Whoever is last to leave the structure checks the door, and a second person confirms during busy seasons. Warning signs help visitors, though signs alone do not stop a child.

Do not forget old and unused structures. An empty, forgotten silo or a partly collapsed shed is still a hazard, and children are drawn to abandoned places. Secure them, fence them or have them removed by qualified professionals.

• Lock all doors and hatches
• Guard or secure ladders
• Fence the work yard
• Check locks at the end of every shift

Why must adults also avoid entering alone?

Adults set the example. Children who see a parent walk into a bin may copy that behavior later. Confined spaces and grain handling have their own safety rules that require training, equipment and a second person outside.

Take hands-on training from a recognized source before entering any bin or silo. Your extension office, OSHA's materials and safety organizations that teach grain handling can help you find a course.

Never send a child into a bin to help with cleaning, even for a short job. Child labor rules for agriculture are set by the U.S. Department of Labor, and you should confirm what applies to your situation at the Wage and Hour Division.

What should you teach children about storage areas?

Teach in plain words that bins and silos are not places to play, even when they look empty. Explain that grain can act like quicksand and that no one outside may hear a person inside.

Walk the boundary with older children and show where they may not go. Do not frighten them with graphic stories. Calm, firm and repeated messages stick better.

Children also copy what they see. If hired workers or relatives climb bins casually, children learn that it is normal. Ask everyone on the farm to follow the same rules, and gently correct any adult who does not.

How should emergency planning include storage areas?

Put the location of each bin, silo and shed on your written farm map. Post your address near each one, and tell your fire department about the structures on your farm. Many departments will visit and learn the layout if you ask.

Some fire departments have specialized grain rescue training and equipment. Ask yours what it can do so you know in advance. In an emergency, call 911 and do not enter to attempt a rescue.

Practice a simple drill: if a child is missing, check the structures first and call 911 right away. Time matters, and it is better to call and be wrong than to search alone while precious minutes pass.

Where can you find official help?

OSHA's agriculture page and the NIOSH agriculture pages publish grain handling and confined space resources. The Progressive Agriculture Foundation and local extension programs teach children and adults.

Ask about demonstration trainings in your area. Seeing how quickly material can move, in a controlled setting, helps families take the threat seriously.

Local safety days often include storage and grain demonstrations designed for families. Call your extension office in late summer, when many are scheduled, and ask what is offered near you.

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Farm Safety Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.