Abstract: At approximately 10:00 a.m. on December 4, 1995, Employee #1, a rigging grip, was using a vertical sanding disc to de-burr a steel plate that he was going to use as a bracket. The large, commercial model sanding disc had a 12 to 14 in. wheel with an abrasive disc mounted on it. When Employee #1 attempted to remove the burrs from the edge of the 6 in. by 6 in. by 1/4 in. steel plate, the plate became caught and tipped upward. His left thumb was pulled between the disc and the work rest table, and was amputated. Employee #1 stated that he was wearing leather gloves at the time and that there was approximately 1 in. of space between the grinding disc and the edge of the table.