Abstract: At approximately 3:15 p.m. on August 25, 1997, Employee #1, of Choice One Foods, was operating a Mecapo meat mixer in the raw product processing department. At the end of an order, as trained, she opened the pneumatic outfeed gate to check whether all the meat had been expelled. Seeing some residue inside, she switched off the machine and reached with her right hand through the discharge door to clean it out. Her hand contacted the still-rotating blades, amputating her middle finger and sustaining an approximately 15 in. long laceration on her index finger. The employer took her to Stacy Medical Center, and she was later transported to Garfield Medical Center for emergency surgery.