Embodiments of a safety guard, fit concentrically over a rotating member, such as a rod assembly, which extends outwardly from apparatus, such as a drive head. The guard may be restrained during normal operation for preventing entanglement of personnel or other apparatus with the rod assembly which continues to rotate within the tubular guard, or may be unrestrained during normal operation. When unrestrained, the guard is free to co-rotate with the rod assembly, but has a low moment of inertia such that the guard decelerates rapidly when restrained so as to prevent entanglement. An anti-friction interface between the guard and the rod assembly is formed by the material of manufacture of the guard itself or by bearings or bushings supported in an annulus between the guard and the rod assembly.