 I like this picture. Maybe it's because I used these simple tools so much the two months I was visiting the elevator. One of the things I did was volunteer to help keep it clean. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say I cleaned up enough dust to fill the bed of a pick-up truck during that two month period. Barley is a very dusty grain, many times more so than wheat. Cleaning a barley elevator requires a big broom and a scoop shovel rather than a dust pan. And it's a never ending job keeping the elevator as dust free as possible.
In fact, dust in an elevator can be extremely flammable, even explosive. There's been more than one elevator which burned to the ground because of a dust explosion. During my two month visit there were times when the dust was so thick where I was that I couldn't see more than 10-15 feet - perfect conditions for a big explosion should I had been foolish enough to 'flick my Bic.' Management is so concerned about accidental dust fires that it's even against the rules to use a cell or cordless phone upstairs in the cupolas or bin rooms for fear of some kind of stray spark.
And so - although the job of knocking dust off shelves and ledges and sweeping it up can be unpleasant and the barley dust can cause huge amounts of itching, it's a job that must to be done. If they left it alone, it would actually get many inches deep in only a few months and would be 'an accident waiting to happen.' From an accidental point of ignition such as a malfunctioning heated bearing, flames could travel through a pile of dust at several feet per second.
Talking about bearings, interestingly enough, a maintenance team regularly visits the elevator inspecting the equipment, including the bearings to make sure just such a thing never happens.
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