Abstract: At 6:25 a.m. on August 19, 2019, an employee was using his foot to try to push down materials that were stuck in the loading hopper. When the employee pushed down his foot on some cardboard, his foot easily went through the cardboard area into a void area, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the loading hopper, then into the compactor ram area. The employee could not climb out of the compactor before the ram cycled again. The employee held onto to the loading hopper top edge and tried to pull his feet up out of the ram area, but could not get his feet up high enough and they were caught between the ram and a side of the compactor area. The employee was hospitalized to treat a fractured left foot and crushing injuries to his right foot. The employee's right leg was amputated below the knee several weeks after the injury, because it could not be saved.