Abstract: Employee #1 and a coworker were removing a cobble sorting chute and deflection gate from a conveyor that normally fed into a crushing unit. They had taken off the temporary chute arrangement and were preparing to remove the deflecting flop gate so that the conveyor feed would flow into the crusher. The flop gate had a rod across the bottom as a hinge point. At one time, the rod had had a welded arm that functioned as a lever, and a piece of angle iron was still welded to the outside of the chute. The lever arm would stop at the angle iron, keeping the flop gate in the correct position. Employee #1 was holding the angle iron when the flop gate slipped from his coworker's grasp. The lever arm struck Employee #1's left ring finger, nearly amputating it. He was administered first aid and transported to Redding Medical Center. He was later transferred to R.K. Davies Medical Center in San Francisco, where his finger was reattached by microsurgery.