Abstract: Employee #1, a maintenance man, and coworkers were trying to fix a problem with an injection molding machine. Normal operation of the machine allows plastic beads to be fed into a hopper, where they then fall into a screw auger. Thermal couplers heat the hardened plastic to form a molten material and the screw moves the material into a void. Once the void is filled, it is rammed hydraulically to move the contents into the mold unit. An internal tip had sheared off and become lodged in the nozzle end, preventing the material from expelling and thus alerting the operator to the equipment malfunction. Employee #1 was unaware of this jam as he attempted to locate the source of the problem. He placed his face over the hopper opening to see if the auger was turning. Meanwhile, a coworker had been continually depressing the ram control function. Internal pressures increased, causing the molten material to back up through the auger line since no other route was available due to the blockage. As Employee #1 peered into the hopper, the ram operated one more time, pushing molten plastic up out of the auger line, through the hopper opening, and onto Employee #1's face and shoulders, burning him. Although his injuries were initially perceived as serious, Employee #1 was treated for minor injuries at Francis Scott Key Burn Center and later released.