Abstract: At approximately 15:23 p.m. on December 5, 2002, an employee working for a company that manufactures decorative architectural fixtures suffered an accident while using a planing machine. At the time of the accident, the employee was planing a 2-inch by 4-inch piece of wood. The employee held the piece of wood with his left hand at the area of the rotating blade, and used his right hand to push the wood through the planer. While he was planing the 2 by 4, a knot on the piece of wood hit the blade, and caused the wood to jump. This caused the employee's left hand to contact the rotating blade, and he amputated several fingers. The employee was hospitalized for emergency treatment. The wood planer did not have a point of operation guard, and the guide was not properly set to accommodate the thickness of the wood being planed.