An employee had just set up and started a new product run on a straight tube machine line. The employee was walking toward the cutter machine on the line when she tripped on an airline that was at the base of the machine near the floor. She fell toward the cutter machine and reached out to stop her fall by bracing the machine. At the same time, a copper pipe (5/8" or 1" diameter) was coming out and impaled her right palm, requiring hospitalization. The machine was unguarded at the time.