Abstract: At approximately 9:30 a.m. on August 15, 2000, a 16 year old employee amputated two fingertips while operating a metal shear. The employee and his fingertips were transported to Kaiser-Morse Avenue Hospital by private vehicle. The employee underwent surgery to reattach his fingertips. The surgery was unsuccessful and the teenager was released later that evening. The employer manufactures unfinished wooden air vents. The teenager was employed as a helper. His usual duties were to putty and sand the vents. The metal shear is used to cut cardboard into pieces for packaging the air vents. It is an air-activated hydraulic shear, measuring approximately 30" wide and 36" high. Shortly before the accident, the leadperson asked the employee to cut cardboard and showed the employee how to operate the shear. The employee was alone in a small room using the shear when he accidentally amputated two fingertips. The shear was not guarded to prevent the operator from contacting the blade.