Abstract: Employee #1 was operating a wire rod drawing machine (bullblock). The rod enters the die block to be drawn down in diameter, then exits at a smaller diameter and recoils on the bullblock machine head, which turns at up to 750 rpm. The metal guard around the rotating head was insufficient to keep the rod end from flying out over the guard. Employee #1 was standing by the machine head when the rod end whipped out over the guard in a lasso-type rotation and struck him. The rod end punctured Employee #1's head just above his ear canal, then exited and recoiled on the machine. Employee #1 was killed by a 4 in. long puncture in his brain.