Class Code 8215
Hay, Grain Or Feed Dealers; Warehouses – Grain Or Bean
Class Code 8215 applies to hay, grain, and feed dealers and to warehouses that store or handle grain or beans in California. The approved pure premium rate is $8.881 per $100 of payroll, which frames expected loss costs for these operations and helps employers estimate workers' comp exposure.
What Class Code 8215 Covers
This classification covers businesses that buy, sell, store, condition, bag, blend or distribute hay, animal feed, grain or beans — including feed mills, country elevators, bulk grain warehouses, and feed dealers with retail and wholesale operations. It includes on-site activities such as receiving grain by truck or rail, unloading into pits and conveyors, drying and cleaning, blending and bagging feed, loading for shipment, and routine maintenance of conveyors, augers, bucket elevators and silos. Both indoor warehouse staff and employees who work on outdoor loading docks, in storage bins or on top of silos are included when their primary duties relate to grain, bean or feed handling. Excluded are purely agricultural field harvesting operations (which carry crop/harvest classifications) and unrelated retail departments that do not handle bulk grain or feed.
Who It Applies To
- Feed mill operators and employees who blend, bag, and package feed
- Grain elevator and bulk storage warehouse operators
- Hay and feed dealers with retail and wholesale distribution
- Receiving and shipping dock workers who load/unload trucks or railcars
- Maintenance technicians servicing conveyors, augers, dryers and silos
Common Job Duties
- Receiving bulk grain/beans from trucks or railcars and operating pit gates
- Operating and maintaining conveyors, augers, bucket elevators and grain dryers
- Blending, mixing and bagging feed or seed, palletizing finished product
- Operating forklifts, skid steers and truck-mounted equipment for loading/unloading
- Inspecting and sampling grain for moisture, foreign material and pests
- Cleaning grain-handling equipment and performing confined-space entry in bins or silos
Common Injury Risks
Understanding the $8.881 Rate
The pure premium rate of $8.881 per $100 of payroll represents the expected cost of workers' compensation losses for this classification before insurer overhead and profit. To estimate the pure premium dollar amount, multiply your payroll for employees in this class by the rate and divide by 100 (payroll/100 x 8.881). Actual premium a California employer pays will also reflect the insurer's loss adjustment expenses, policy fees, your experience modification (X-mod), any credits/penalties, audits and how accurately payroll is reported and classified.
Cal/OSHA Compliance Requirements
Cal/OSHA requirements relevant to grain, bean and feed handling include written Injury and Illness Prevention Programs (IIPP), permit-required confined space procedures for entry into bins and silos, respiratory protection programs when dust or fumigants are present, and lockout/tagout for equipment maintenance. Employers must control combustible dust through housekeeping, proper ventilation, and electrical classifications where necessary, and provide fall protection, machine guarding, and training specific to grain handling hazards. Regular hazard assessments, documented training, and maintenance/inspection records are commonly cited items in California enforcement and essential to reducing claims.
How Key HR Helps Employers Under Class Code 8215
A PEO like Key HR can help employers in Class 8215 by auditing employee classifications to ensure correct payroll assignment, administering workers' comp claims to control reserves and return-to-work timing, and providing industry-specific safety templates and training (confined space, respiratory protection, machine guarding, forklift safety). Key HR's loss-control services, safety coaching and group purchasing for insurance may reduce the employer's experience modification and overall workers' comp cost over time.
Get a QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
Does a retail feed store with a small bulk bin fall under Class 8215?
If the primary operations involve receiving, storing, bagging or selling bulk grain, feed or hay and employees regularly handle those materials, Class 8215 is appropriate. Purely retail sales with no bulk handling may fall under a different retail classification; a payroll and operations review will determine the correct class.
How can I lower workers' comp costs for my grain warehouse?
Focus on targeted loss-control measures: confined space entry procedures, grain entrapment rescue training, dust control and housekeeping, machine guarding on conveyors and augers, and a formal return-to-work program. Accurate payroll reporting and timely claims reporting also improve experience modification outcomes.
Are contractors who repair my conveyors classified under 8215?
Independent contractors who perform repair work should carry their own workers' comp and be classified separately; if they are leased employees on your payroll and perform the grain-handling duties regularly, they would be reported under Class 8215. Always verify contractor insurance and obtain certificates of insurance before allowing work on equipment.
Quick Facts
- Class Code
- 8215
- Classification
- Hay, Grain Or Feed Dealers; Warehouses – Grain Or Bean
- Pure Premium Rate
- $8.881 / $100 payroll
- Effective Date
- September 1, 2026
- Source
- WCIRB Approved Filing
Manage Workers' Comp Through a PEO
Key HR provides pay-as-you-go workers' comp for California employers — no large deposits, no audits, better rates.
Get a Quoteor call (800) 922-4133Ready to Simplify Workers' Comp for Class Code 8215?
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