Legacy Cooperative
Outcome
Legacy Cooperative's Hemingford, Nebraska grain elevator was cited for two willful and 22 serious OSHA violations and fined $536,965 for combustible dust accumulation exceeding one-eighth inch in the belt tunnel and elevator legs, a duct-tape-patched dust collection system, and dozens of other serious violations.
Details
Legacy Cooperative — Combustible Dust, Duct-Tape Dust Collector, 24 Violations (2024)
Outcome: Legacy Cooperative's Hemingford, Nebraska grain elevator was cited for two willful and 22 serious OSHA violations totaling $536,965 for combustible dust accumulation in the belt tunnel and elevator legs, a makeshift duct-tape repair to the dust collection system, confined space entry failures, and forklift training gaps.
OSHA inspectors opened an investigation at Legacy Cooperative's grain elevator in Hemingford, Nebraska in March 2024. The inspection, with citations issued October 3, 2024, found dangerous conditions throughout the facility.
The primary willful violations involved combustible dust accumulation exceeding the one-eighth-inch threshold in critical enclosed areas — the bottom belt tunnel and the grain elevator legs — where a spark or friction event could trigger an explosion or fire. Investigators also found that employees had repaired the facility's dust collection system using duct tape wrapped around the ductwork — a makeshift patch that compromised the system's effectiveness and left combustible material circulating in the air.
Twenty-two serious violations covered the rest of the facility's safety failures: failure to conduct regular equipment inspections and maintain documentation, inadequate preventive maintenance records, noncompliance with confined space entry procedures, unguarded stairway hazards, improper electrical installations, missing forklift operator training certifications, and inadequate chemical container labeling. OSHA proposed $536,965 in penalties.
Primary Source: Department of Labor investigators find Nebraska grain cooperative exposed workers to combustible dust, multiple hazards at Hemingford elevator
How Crucible Prevents This
Grain elevator combustible dust is a national emphasis program target for OSHA precisely because dust accumulations exceeding one-eighth inch in enclosed spaces like belt tunnels and elevator legs create catastrophic explosion conditions. The "duct tape wrapped around the dust collection system" finding illustrates how informal maintenance workarounds substitute for documented inspection and repair procedures — exactly the gap Crucible's structured work order logging is designed to prevent.
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