Abstract: At approximately 5:50 p.m. on August 18, 1998, Employee #1, age 19 and with two months of experience working for a family grocery store, was operating a Torrey meat grinder, model # X-11. She was feeding in 4 in. long by 2 in. wide strips of meat when the machine became jammed and stopped. Employee #1 tried to feed in several more pieces of meat and push them with the meat pusher, but without success. She then pulled out the loose meat pieces and tried to dislodge the jammed piece of meat with her index finger. As the caught piece of meat came out, the grinder started to operate again, and Employee #1's left index finger was drawn into the rotating auger, amputating the tip of her left index finger. She immediately turned off the meat grinder and asked for help from coworkers, but they could not free her hand and called 911. Paramedics freed Employee #1 and transported her to Torrance (CA) Memorial Hospital, where she underwent surgery and was released approximately 5 hours later. Employee #1 did not shut off the grinder before trying to clear the jam.