The Russian Lathe Accident meme is derived from a widely circulated and graphic industrial safety video originating from a Russian factory. In the footage, a worker's clothing becomes entangled in a high-speed rotating lathe, leading to a catastrophic and fatal result. On the internet, the video became a notorious shock clip, frequently discussed in gore-adjacent communities on Reddit and 4chan. As a meme, the concept is typically used as a dark metaphor for a situation that escalates from a minor lapse in judgment to a total, irreversible disaster in seconds. It serves as both a grim cautionary tale regarding workplace safety and a meta-reference to the traumatizing rabbit holes of the internet.