Main
Utilities
2022 Annual Meeting
About
History
Our Business & Values
Board of Directors
Annual Reports
2021 Annual Meeting
Member & Credit Applications
Management Team
Locations
Careers / Carreras
Scholarships
Donations & Sponsorships
Contact Us
Finance
Patron Access And Portal
Member & Credit Applications
Input Financing
Annual Reports
Finance Team
Donations & Sponsorships
Grain
Cash Bids
Futures Market Overview
StoneX Daily Market Commentary
GCC Market Commentary
Grain Team
Market Commentary
Grain Discount Schedules
Grain Price History
Locations
Programs
Brokerage Services
River Valley Terminal Information
Weather
Agronomy
Seed
Crop Nutrients
Crop Protection
Custom Application
Agronomy Links
Input Financing
Agronomy Team
Locations
Recent Videos
Ag Tech
FieldReveal
R7 Tool
Climate FieldView
Soil Moisture Sensors
Variable-Rate Seeding
Ag Tech Team
Locations
Petroleum
Consumption Billing
Market Intelligence
DEF
Antifreeze
Petroleum Team
Total Protection Plan
Bulk & Packaged Lubricants
Farm & Commercial Deliveries
News
Announcements
Links
GCC Events
GCC News
AnswerTech
Customer Portal
Dashboard Login
Locations
Contact Us
Careers
Cash Bids
Patron Access
Search for:
facebook-icon
twitter-icon
instagram-icon
vimeo-icon
Cash Bids
Contact Us
Customer Portal
Patron Access
Dashboard Login
Locations
News
>
GCC News
>
Remembering Dwayne - 10 Years Later
Remembering Dwayne - 10 Years Later
Nov 12, 2019
Print
Share
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Roberta's Request
On the morning of November 12, 2009, the Garden City Co-op lost one of our own, Dwayne Seifried in a grain entrapment fatality in the Amy elevator near Dighton, Kansas.
Dwayne was not a reckless type of employee. He was careful. Meticulous. His widow, Roberta, said he was a "Hard A" but bashfully said she couldn't complete the rest of that word. He was chairman of the newly-created safety committee. He took pride in his perfectionism. His son Shannon remarked that one grain inspector told him that "you could drag a steak from one end of the elevator to the other and I'd eat it" because the facility was that clean.
Therein lies one dangerous part of the equation. While younger employees typically feel invincible doing dangerous tasks, there is an older group who have become accustomed to their jobs and have gotten comfortable. They've performed a task a certain way so many times and it has never failed them...yet. "They tend to disregard some of the things that they know are very important," says former General Manager John McClelland, but as Dwayne's son Shannon says "just because it hasn't happened to us doesn't mean that potential has gone away. And sooner or later it may not be the big thing that gets you but if you have enough of the little things that line up just right it can still happen."
When John asked Roberta if there was anything he could do, she replied, "do whatever you can to make sure this doesn't happen again."
This video was a piece of that response effort that is now a part of new employee training. It has also been used in countless other lectures and demonstrations across the United States as well as internationally, in an effort to bring awareness to the importance of grain bin entry safety and agriculture safety in general.
The nature of a lot of the work in a grain elevator environment is one of isolation; a couple employees in an elevator surrounded by nothing but fields for miles. Many times, we are too proud to ask for help even if we feel like we might need it, but this is how situations can so often turn deadly. Unfortunately, it is what cost Dwayne his life.
Part of our change in our procedures is we now have increased the number of eyeballs required for entry into a bin. Bringing in somebody else that is not from that location on a day-to-day basis can bring a fresh perspective to dangers that others may not be seeing.
The most important thing is, in the busy-ness of your daily tasks, resist the urge to take shortcuts. Slow down and observe the safety rules and regulations. "They are there for a purpose," says Roberta. "Abide by them, because they someday could save your life."
Please feel free to share the following video with your connections in the ag community as ag/grain safety will always be a need!
Read More News
Summer Harvest Prep
May 26, 2023
Wheat harvest is one of the most exciting times of the year – and it’s just around the corner. We've got a few pre-harvest best practices to consider to help harvest go as smoothly...
Spring is here! Are you ready?
May 19, 2023
With planting season upon us, the Garden City Co-op Ag Tech Team wants to make sure you’re properly prepared!
Energy Solutions for Our Members
May 12, 2023
Petroleum supply is an ever moving, constantly changing situation influenced by a number of factors from a global perspective right down to the fuel at the pumps in our local area.