Abstract: At or about 5:00 p.m. on April 9, 1992, Employee #1, of AEP Industries, Inc., was working on a palletizer located in the northeast end of the shop in the reclaim department. Employee #1 observed a slack in the string and wanted to put mask tape on the rubber roll to create additional tension on the incoming string. According to the employer, additional tension was not needed. Employee #1 removed a screen guard from the roll and attempted to put duct tape on the roll, but his left hand became caught in the running roll. The chopper blade on the other side of the roll amputated his middle finger to the first knuckle and deeply lacerated his index fingertip. Employee #1 remained less than 24 hours at Chino Community Hospital. No supervisor was present at the time of the accident. Employee #1 is a well-trained, experienced, and young employee. He had been shown safety films on machine operation. This was the first time that Employee #1 had tried to put duct tape on a running roll. The employer's knowledge of the accident could not be established.