National Farm Safety and Health Week 2025
National Farm Safety and Health Week (NFSHW) takes place September 21–27, 2025, spotlighting the critical safety challenges faced by agricultural workers. This year’s theme, “Safety First, Avoid the Worst,” emphasizes the need for proactive safety practices—especially when it comes to confined spaces like grain bins, silos, and manure pits.
Confined space hazards are among the most deadly in agriculture, and they often happen suddenly and without warning. In this blog, we’ll explore the risks, how NFSHW 2025 is helping raise awareness, and how Clarion Safety’s confined space labels and signs can support compliance and save lives on farms and agricultural worksites.
Understanding Confined Space Risks on Farms
Why Confined Spaces Are Especially Hazardous
Confined spaces are areas that are large enough for a person to enter but have limited entry and exit points, making them dangerous to work in. In agriculture, they often include:
- Grain bins, silos, and hoppers
- Liquid manure pits and storage tanks
- Sealed feed storage or fumigation chambers
These spaces can present hazards such as:
- Oxygen depletion or buildup of toxic gases
- Dust explosion risk
- Engulfment hazards from loose grain or other stored materials
- Limited rescue access if a worker becomes trapped
Real World Impact
According to OSHA and NIOSH data, dozens of workers are injured or killed in agricultural confined spaces each year, often due to grain entrapments, toxic atmospheres, or lack of hazard communication. Many of these incidents could be prevented with proper safety planning, training, and clear, durable warning labels and signs at points of entry.
Farm Safety & Health Week - Spotlight on Confined Space Safety
National Farm Safety and Health Week brings a full schedule of educational webinars, including a special focus on Confined Spaces in Agriculture on Thursday, September 25. This day will feature expert-led sessions on the hazards of confined spaces, best practices for safe entry, and strategies for building safer farm operations.
Other themed days throughout the week cover topics like equipment safety, mental health, youth safety, and ATV/UTV safety—helping agricultural employers and workers strengthen their safety culture from every angle.
Events like NFSHW help raise the visibility of known hazards and empower EHS leaders, farm owners, and OEMs to put stronger controls in place. By promoting best practices and highlighting real-world risks, these campaigns make it more likely that safety information will be understood, remembered, and acted on.
The Role of Labels and Signs in Confined Space Compliance
OSHA’s standard on permit-required confined spaces (29 CFR 1910.146) requires clear signage and labeling to mark all confined spaces and communicate the hazards inside. Labels and signs are also a key part of meeting ANSI Z535.4 requirements for product safety labeling and ensuring workers recognize and understand potential risks.
Proper signage helps:
- Prevent unauthorized entry
- Remind workers to follow entry permits and lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures
- Support emergency planning and rescue protocols
Clarion Safety offers a complete line of confined space labels and signs for agricultural environments, including grain bins, silos, tanks, and other high-risk areas.
- Available in standard and custom designs
- Compliant with OSHA and ANSI Z535.4 requirements
- Made from durable materials to withstand outdoor and harsh conditions
Building a Culture of Safety in Agriculture
Confined space safety depends on more than just meeting minimum compliance requirements. It requires reinforcing safe work practices through training, consistent labeling, and open communication.
By pairing clear, durable labels with proper training and operational controls, both OEMs and agricultural worksites can:
- Reduce risk and liability
- Protect workers from life-threatening incidents
- Support a culture of safety across teams and generations
National Farm Safety and Health Week is an ideal opportunity to review your confined space safety program and ensure that all hazards are clearly marked. Taking this simple step can help prevent accidents—and save lives.
