Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Palmer Grain Inc, 208 Nadeau Ave, PALMER, KANSAS 66962
on — Heat (thermal) burns, unspecified, affecting the nonclassifiable.
Final narrative
An employee was prepping to run a batch of feed when a grain dust explosion occurred at the establishment elevator, burning the employee. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was taking a break by a baghouse after shoveling hot pellets that were being expelled from a cooler. While the pellets were still being expelled from the cooler hopper, a flame shot out of the discharge pipe, then backdrafted up the pipe into the cooler and then into the bag house. The employee suffered burns to the hands and arms from the resulting explosion.
On March 15, 2019, at 1530, two employees noticed smoke from the sawdust bin. The two employees attempted to move the sawdust in the bin to the ground via an auger system. Thirty minutes later, the employees opened the lower hatch. A blast of fire shot from the hatch, severely burning the two men. The first employee suffered burns on the neck, face, and hands. The second employee suffered burns on the chest and stomach area.
An employee changing filters on a filter system connected to a grinding unit dropped one of the filters into the filter unit. The impact inside the unit created a spark that ignited the aluminum dust, causing an aluminum dust deflagration. A fire ball discharged from the filter unit, contacting and causing second degree burns to the employee's hands.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 424510)
An employee was preparing to unjam an auger shaft while standing on a forklift-elevated, job-made platform. The employee's wrench slipped off the equipment, causing them to lose their balance and fall. The employee landed on the ground 14 feet below and suffered fractures to the orbital bone, left elbow, and lower back.
An employee was walking past a crossover conveyor when a ramp came down and hit them in the back. The employee sustained a broken back vertebra, as well as a concussion, and was hospitalized.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.
An employee had been cleaning a grain bin. He walked across the bin and his left foot contacted an unguarded floor auger, resulting in severe lacerations to the foot. The auger was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
On September 23, 2025, an employee was monitoring a feed roller when they tripped and their right hand contacted the roller. The employee was hospitalized and their right hand was amputated at the wrist.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.