A 52-year-old machinist at a manufacturing company was preparing to tap the center of a 103-inch bar on a manual lathe. Due to the length of the steel, 24″ stock protrudes from the exposed back of the lathe and is held in place by aftermarket fixtures that rotate with the lathe. Security footage shows the machinist trying to grab a glove from the top of the lathe while the lathe is running and the rebar is turning.
His shirtsleeve was caught in the clamp, pulling him into the lathe between the motor and the spinning steel. As the lathe continued to turn, the machinist’s body spun around the steel sheet and hit the engine about 12 times.
A staff member in the locker room came to check, turned off the machine and called an ambulance. Paramedics took the partially unconscious mechanic to hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The cause of death was traumatic blunt force trauma.
