Iowa man, 94, dies at a grain bin site while unloading soybeans

Robert Wayne Smith was prounouced dead at the scene after being found underneath soybeans

Occupational Safety and Health Administration says that working in grain handling is a ‘high-hazard industry’ (Getty Images)

An elderly man has died after he was found underneath soybeans while helping his son unload them at a grain bin site in Iowa.

Robert Wayne Smith, 94, was unloading soybeans while running a grain vacuum on Monday, while his son was out moving a semi that they were in the process of loading, the Fremont county sheriff said in a press release.

When Smith’s son came back to the bin, he found his father underneath the beans.

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene, and his cause of death will be determined by the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny.

The Tabor Fire and Rescue, Randolph Fire, and Sidney Fire and Rescue were all at the scene.

Another fatal incident happened at another grain bin in Iowa last year when 69-year-old Dennis Ray Fischer became trapped inside the bin.

The Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office said that in October 2023, rescuers tried to save Fischer but were unable to free him for an extended period of time.

Fischer was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says that working in grain handling is a “high-hazard industry”, where workers are exposed to a plethora of serious and life-threatening hazards.

Suffocation is a leading cause of death in grain storage bins, as workers are at risk of getting engulfed if they walk on moving grain or attempt to clear built-up piles.

The OSHA said that grain can work like quicksand, burying workers in seconds.

Other hazards include fires and explosions from grain dust accumulation, falls from heights or crushing injuries, and amputations from handling grain equipment.