” Been going on a long time, in various guises”
Yes every once in a while you hear of someone getting wraped up in a lathe. Not pretty. PTO shafts on tractors can be bad also.
Someone here in St. Louis was crushed by an industrial press:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/authorities-identify-man-killed-in-st-louis-industrial-accident/article_b52b26da-3c13-11e1-82b6-001a4bcf6878.html