Abstract: At approximately 8:00 p.m. on May 15, 1995, Employee #1, of Safariland, Inc., a company that manufactures duty gear for law enforcement organizations, was operating an embossing machine. The machine, which was built in-house by one of the company's owners, has air cylinders that raised a platen from the bottom. Employees place leather straps into the dies and activate the two-hand controls to raise the platen and emboss the leather. According to Employee #1, when he placed a strap into the machine, the machine activated by itself and the dies went up, catching and amputating Employee #1's fingers.