Abstract: At approximately 7:30 a.m. on June 30, 1993, Employee #1 was operating a tubing/wiring cutting machine. Material is automatically spool fed into the cutting area and the cutting blade is enclosed and interlocked. Once the material is cut, it is discharged by a plastic chute. The chute opening is approximately 2 inches by 3 inches, and the depth of the chute from the opening to the zone of danger is 5 1/2 inches. Employee #1 stuck her right hand into the chute to clear a clog. The blade came down and amputated approximately 1/2 inch of her middle finger. The employer provided a brush for Employee #1 to use when clearing a jammed chute and had a policy against using hands to perform this operation.