Abstract: At approximately 12:10 a.m. on June 14, 1988, Employee #1 was attempting to straighten a 6 in. diameter by 12 ft long mild steel shaft, using a Williams/White 600 ton capacity vertical hydraulic press. The press is located in the northwest corner of the shop. Employee #1 was standing on the south side of the press operating the control handle. To prevent marring, a bronze pad, approximately 1 3/8 in. wide by 1 in. thick by 5 in. long, had been placed between the ram plate and the work piece. A stop block and dial indicator were being used to measure the amount of deflection remaining in the shaft. The work piece had been straightened to within 1/16 in. When the control handle was not released as the ram plate made contact with the stop block, increased pressure was applied to the bronze pad, which flew out of the press in two pieces in a south/north direction. One piece struck Employee #1 in the jaw and lodged in his throat, causing severe carotid artery damage and asphyxiation. Employee #1 was treated and taken to St. Catherine's Hospital in East Chicago, IN, where he died at 1:10 p.m. on June 14, 1988.