Abstract: At 4:50 a.m. on June 9, 1999, Employee #1 was using a 54 in. long metal rod to unclog the mixing chute of a centrifuge machine at a sugar beet processing plant. The chute became plugged when the film mass hardened and blocked the flow. The metal rod deflected off the hardened film mass and struck the rotating basket of the centrifuge. The rod kicked back and struck Employee #1 in the throat, knocking him to the floor. A nearby coworker immediately ran over to him and saw the cut on his neck; there was no blood, but he was not breathing. Employee #1 was transported to a local hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries.