807 Incidents Involving Silos

Question 1

What are Silos and Silage?

Answer 1

2.1 Silo:Acontainerortower,oftencylindricalinshape,usedforthestorageofsilage,grain,
powders, pellets or crops.
2.2 Silage:Anycropharvestedwhilegreenforfodderandkeptsucculentbypartialfermentationina silo.

Question 2

What are the 8 main hazards when working in or around silos?

Answer 2

1. Explosion
2. Entrapment in machinery
3. Falling from height
4. Silo contents (atoxic, flammable, explosive or oxygen deficient atmosphere)
5. Fire
6. Construction
7. Manual handling
8. Oxygen deficient atmosphere

Question 3

Can crews enter or work beneath a working silo during training?

Answer 3

No

Question 4

What 7 pieces of information should be collected on a 7(2)d visit to a silo?

Answer 4

(a) Contact information for site engineer or other responsible person for information and plans.
(b) Typeofsilo,contentsandassociatedhazards,suchasmachinery.
(c) Access and egress for pumping and specialist appliances, assessing hard standing, height clearance, restrictions or obstructions.
(d) Machinery/power isolation points.
(e) Water supplies, suppression systems or fixed installations for firefighting.
(f) Specialist equipment on site.
(g) Entry,exitpointsintosilo.

Question 5

What information should be gathered when dealing with a silo?

Answer 5

(a) Type of incident, number of casualties/fire involved and location and any history of fires.
(b) Type of silo design/construction.
(c) Type of contents (hazardous materials, chemicals involved and the flammability, toxic stability of stored materials).
(d) If the silo is empty, the contents previously stored and whether any decommissioning has taken place.
(e) Explosive risk and extent of safe working area.
(f) Confirm that power supplies are isolated, if not isolate immediately, unless turning the power off could increase the level of risk or lead to further injury.
(g) Availabilityofonsitespecialistequipment(e.g.waterorthermometerprobes,lifting equipment, de-canting machinery).
(h) Identify access/egress points to silo for casualty rescue or inspection purposes in a fire situation.
(i) Plan of the interior of the silo, working environment and history of previous incidents.
(j) Fixed installations available and/or activated, (e.g. dry/wet risers, drenching agents).
(k) Water supplies and affects of applying extinguishing medium on contents or structure.
(l) Accessconsiderationsinrelationtowherethesiloissited,hardstandingadjacenttosiloand load bearing capacity for specialist appliances, e.g. Aerial appliances

Question 6

What additional resources should be considered?

Answer 6

1-Ariel appliances
2-FRU
3-HMEPO, RRT, SA
4-USAR
5-TRA (technical rescue advisor)
6-BMA

Question 7

Under what circumstances should crews enter a silo?

Answer 7

Only if there is immediate risk of serious injury or loss of life.

Question 8

What steps must be taken if committing crews to a silo?

Answer 8

1-advice from responsible person or TRA
2-level 2 line ops implemented
3-crews lead by a minimum of CM
4-DIM equipment used to assess atmosphere inside silo
5-BA

Question 9

What are the dangers of applying water to a silo fire?

Answer 9

Swelling of silo contents causing instability.