Abstract: On November 28, 1995, Employee #1, a 21-year-old production worker with over two years employment, was working at Shin-Etsu Polymer America, Inc., which manufactures silicone rubber components per customer specs. He was attempting to remove a piece of silicone rubber from the blade of an automatic cutting machine in the mixing room. The machine's blade was fully enclosed in a mechanical interlock plastic barrier. Employee #1 raised the barrier and attempted to remove the rubber with his right ring finger. Because he did not allow the additional cycle time required to open the guard, his finger was amputated. He was treated as an outpatient at a local hospital.