WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. — The number of injuries and fatalities associated with US agricultural confined spaces dropped 7% in 2024 compared to the previous year, and the percentage of fatalities was lower than the historical average, according to data collected by Purdue University’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department.

A total of 51 cases were documented in 2024, including 34 grain entrapments, 3 falls into or from grain storage structures, 4 asphyxiations, 4 equipment entanglements and 6 cases involving miscellaneous situations.

The total was 7% less than in 2023 and down 39% from 2022. The number of 2024 cases were also less than both the 5-year average (62.4 cases/year), and the 10-year average (60.2 cases/year).

In 2024, there were 22 fatal cases, which is below the five-year average of 26.

“While this decline may reflect improvements in safety awareness, equipment, or response protocols, the continued occurrence of fatal incidents highlights the need for sustained prevention efforts and targeted training — especially related to high-risk tasks such as accessing manure storage areas and transport vehicles,” the department said. “This pattern reinforces the importance of long-term strategies to reduce risks.”

Since the 1970s, the department has been documenting and investigating incidents involving grain storage and handling facilities at commercial and on-farm locations. As of the end of 2024, the Purdue Agricultural Confined Space Incident Database (PACSID) has information on 2,429 cases from between 1962 and 2024 that resulted in an injury, fatality or required emergency extrication.

Incidents were documented in 20 states with the highest number in: Indiana (5), Missouri (5), Illinois (4), Nebraska (4) and Wisconsin (4).

The 34 fatal and non-fatal grain entrapment cases represented a 26% increase from the 27 recorded in 2023 and was slightly above the five-year average (33.2 cases/year). Of the reported entrapment cases, 41% resulted in a fatality, versus a five-year average of nearly 50%.