Abstract: At approximately 8:00 a.m. on June 16, 2016, an employee was straightening 0.75-inch steel plates approximately 27.875-in. long by 9.8125-in. wide, on a 1000-Ton Cincinnati Hydraulic Press Brake. The employee had placed a 1.75-in, steel block (3-in. by 1.5-in.) on top of the steel plate and a shim (piece of steel banding material approximately 0.032-in. thick) believed to be approximately 3 inches in length on top of the steel block. When the press was actuated, it appears that the shim broke apart, propelling pieces out the front and rear of the press bed. The employee standing in front of the press was apparently struck in the abdomen by one or more pieces of the metal. The employee sustained puncture wounds to the abdomen and was killed.