Keeping employees safe from the threat of severe weather

Storm shelters keep employees safe

By: Lucy Loftus, Environmental Health and Safety Specialist

Two years ago, the South Central FS facility in Gays, Illinois, was destroyed in a December tornado outbreak that killed more than 80 people in eight Midwestern and Southern states. Luckily, nobody was at the Gays facility when the tornado blew through. Further highlighting the dangers to employees from severe weather while in the workplace, in 2022, in Mayfield, Kentucky, eight workers died at a candle factory; and in Edwardsville, Illinois, six died at an Amazon warehouse, when tornadoes struck.

It’s important to have insurance to help cover clean-up and facility replacement costs, but insurance can’t replace people. Sturdy shelters are required to protect workers in the event of severe weather. 

Recently, Greg Eckhart, director of facility operations, had a wake-up call when a tornado came near one of their locations. “There was a tornado that hit near one of our terminals that got us all thinking seriously about the safety of our employees and drivers that might be on site if a storm hit one of our terminals,” he said. “Many of the facilities are located in rural areas with no storm protection.”

Greg and Rob Kern, a projects and facilities operations manager, decided to take action. They researched companies that sold storm shelters and found Safe Shed Inc. in Salem, Illinois. They toured the shelter units on display and saw one that had taken a direct hit from a three-fourths ton pickup truck during a storm but emerged with only paint scrapes from the truck slamming into the building's sturdy shelter. They decided to purchase that particular shelter for each of their locations.

Rob and Greg felt the investment could potentially save lives. “Our employees appreciated the emphasis on their safety, it gave them peace of mind to know they have somewhere safe to go.” he said.  “Since they were installed a couple of our sites have used them during storms, so they have been well worth the investment.”

All GROWMARK-owned distribution centers have storm shelters, even the Farmville location, where tornadoes are extremely rare. 

According to Kyle Zehr, Alpha, Illinois, distribution center manager, seeing the violent tornado that struck an Amazon warehouse was shocking. “I called our engineering group and told them our current plans were to shelter in the bathrooms and asked if those plans were adequate,” he said. “The response I got was not favorable and would only give first responders an idea of where to recover the bodies…that was unacceptable.” Kyle decided to fix the problem and now his employees are protected with a storm shelter anytime severe weather threatens. “I am proud to work for a company that values their employee’s safety,” he said. 

Facts about Safe Sheds:

• Each unit holds 16 adults.
• Each unit weighs 24,000 lbs.
• Units are made of steel-reinforced seamless concrete walls.
• Units are anchored by two 36-inch stakes driven into the ground at different angles.

What’s inside a Safe Shed?

• An emergency escape port.
• Motion-activated lights. 
• First-aid kit.
• Fire extinguisher.
• Portable toilet with privacy enclosure.

The National Weather Service hosts a Severe Weather Preparedness Week in most states during March. Visit the National Weather Service to learn how to prepare in your area at www.Weather.gov.