Abstract: Employee #1, a batching plant operator at a cultured stone manufacturing facility, was attempting to prevent sand from spilling onto the floor from the bottom of an employer-built aggregate screw conveyor that was mounted above the batch line. He reached under the machine guard to stuff a wadded-up glove into a 6 in. by 8 in. opening at the bottom of the conveyor. The conveyor's screw auger, which moves the sand and aggregate, caught Employee #1's gloved hand, amputating the first joint of his left index finger against the edge of the opening. The plug for the opening had apparently been left off by a maintenance crew that had serviced the unit the previous evening.