Abstract: At approximately 9:20 a.m. on November 3, 1995, Employee #1 answered a troubleshooting call from trash collection truck #821. He fixed a gripper problem on the truck by replacing a solenoid, and then found that the carriage slowdown sensor was malfunctioning and did not slow the basket. To fix this, he needed to clean the sensor, which was located 8 ft 9 in. above ground level and accessible through a 2 in. by 5 in. opening. Employee #1 had his fingers in the opening and was cleaning the sensor when he asked the truck operator to see if the gripper was functioning properly. The operator pressed the gripper switch button, but at the same time accidentally depressed the carriage's arm control. The carriage jumped upward, amputating Employee #1's right middle finger between the chain link and track. The employer was cited for a violation of T8CCR 3314(a), for failing to following lockout procedures.