Abstract: At approximately 4:15 p.m. on November 8, 2002, Employee #1 was performing the wipe-out process of a boot area of a filling machine. Employee #1 had climbed up on a filling machine and removed the boot. After noticing a piece of string or something hanging inside the collar that attached to the boot, Employee #1 reached up into that area. Employee #1 contacted the rotating airlock valve that was mounted above the boot collar area, which partially amputated the tips of his right middle and ring fingers. Employee #1 was not hospitalized. The employee was performing normal job duties, but did not lock out the filler machine prior to getting into that area. By locking out the filler machine this would have also locked out the rotating airlock valve which is normal procedure when performing cleaning or change-over procedures.