Abstract: Employee #1, a motel housekeeper, was folding clean sheets using a tool made from a 4 inch spring clip that had a cable and a foot pedal rigged to open the clip. The tool was mounted to the laundry room wall and used to hold one end of a large sheet while the operator folded it in toward the clip. At approximately 12:15 p.m. on May 11, 1993, Employee #1 stepped on the pedal to release the clip. The spring broke and a 2 1/2 inch long straight piece of approximately 1/8 inch thick spring wire was propelled out of the clip, hit the wall, and ricocheted into Employee #1's left eye. She was taken to the hospital where surgery was performed. The eye was saved, but her vision will probably not return. Because spring failure cannot be anticipated, management removed the tool and will use two employees instead of one to fold sheets.