Abstract: At 9:17 a.m. on September 25, 1990, Employee #1, age 20, was operating a compactor loaded with used carpet padding. He was holding the materials above the lower gate with his left hand while operating the ram. His hand became caught between the ram and the lower gate, sustaining crushing injuries and lacerations. He was taken to Placentia Linda Hospital, where he was treated and released after 3 hours. The main cause of the accident was the absence of an interlock that would have prevented operation of the compactor when the upper gate guard was open. To prevent a recurrence of this accident, an interlock was installed that prevented operation of the ram when a gate was open. There was only one compactor at the site when the investigation was conducted.