Abstract: At approximately 6:10 a.m. on September 13, 1993, Employee #1 was feeding square steel tubes into a cut off press machine when a 3-inch tube became stuck in the die inserts. Instead of notifying his supervisor, Employee #1 went around the back of the press and reached inside to free the tube himself without turning off power or blocking the fly wheel. The machine cycled and crushed his left finger, catching it between the blade-holding block and the top of the die insert block. He was taken to the hospital for treatment and amputation of the finger. According to the employer, Employee #1 was properly trained with one year's experience. He violated the company's safety rules and regulations and was reprimanded. The equipment was not found to have malfunctioned and the standard procedures were not cited as any violation.