Abstract: Just before 12 noon on April 13, 1998, Employee #1, a Dimter saw operator, was trying to unclog sawdust and wood chips from the exhaust vent under the saw blade. The saw was located in a metal enclosure, and access to the vent was through a safety-interlocked metal door with a three-minute delay timer to insure that the saw blade has stopped rotating before an operator can access the vent. Employee #1 was reaching into the exhaust vent area when her left hand contacted the rotating saw blade, amputating three fingers. A year earlier the safety interlock switch had been disabled by removing two bolts on the metal gate; this allowed the operator to open the door while the saw blade was still rotating.