Abstract: At 7:45 p.m. on March 29, 1995, Employee #1 was operating a John Deere harvester, Unit #4, in a field of green barley when the operator of Unit #2 requested assistance. Employee #1 briefly operated Unit #2 and ascertained that there was a clog around the paddle from the blower or spout. Employee #1 then departed on his machine to complete another round while the operator of Unit #2 went for tools. On his return, the Unit #2 operator removed the lower inspection port cover of the paddle blower fan. Employee #1, during his check for the clog, had left the engine running with the main drive clutch in the 'off' position; this time, Employee #1 did not ensure that the engine was turned off and the controls were in the 'off' mode. He reached into the lower inspection port of the paddle blower fan to clear the clog, which was actually located in the spout system above the blower fan. The fan was rotating, and Employee #1's hand was amputated. He was transported by his foreman to Hanford Community Hospital. After being stabilized, Employee #1 was transferred to Davis Medical Center, San Francisco, where attempts to reattach his hand were unsuccessful.