Abstract: Employee #1 was working on the Pittsburgh BART project at the north end of joint 171, cutting wedges used to skim concrete forms. The wedges were placed into a jig and then cut with a Skil saw. According to Employee #1, he could feel the wood pulling into the blade while he was cutting; when the trigger was released, the rpm of the blade did the actual cutting. According to both the employer and Employee #1, the saw was new and had the guard on, in working order. Employee #1 sustained an avulsion of his left index finger from approximately the distal joint to the fingernail, midway, on the radial side. Employee #1 was treated and released with scheduled follow-up visits. Employee #1 had been using the wrong tool for the job. According to the employer, this job is now performed using a radial armor hand saw.