Abstract: On October 5, 1991, Employee #1, a planerman for Sierra Pacific Industries, Burney plant, was cleaning grit from and changing coolant in a Neman knife grinder. He scratched the back of his right hand. Over the next three days, his hand became extremely inflamed and Employee #1 was hospitalized for three days and treated with intravenous antibiotics. He fully recovered. It was determined that the coolant, which was 1 percent Castrol VS977 and 99 percent water, had become laden with bacteria and had entered Employee #1's hand through the scratch. The material safety data sheet showed the coolant to be non-hazardous in dilution. No citations were issued.