Abstract: On September 3, 2003, Employee #1 was cleaning a heat sealer plate on a yogurt cup-filling station at a yogurt manufacturing plant. At the filling station, after the empty cups are filled with yogurt, they go through the heat sealer where pre-cut foil caps are dropped and then heat sealed. This involves a rotating 23-in. cylindrical plate, which is heated and a lower cylindrical rotating plate with individual cup holders. At certain point in their revolution, the cup holder pushes the yogurt-filled cup upwards, pressing it against the heated underside of the heat-sealer plate. This action heats the glue lined foil caps and seals the product. As the sealed cup continues around the seal plate, it meets with an empty notch on the star-wheel. At this point, a stop-bar then keeps the sealed product from continuing in its clockwise direction of travel and the star-wheel gently guides in another revolution, this time in a counter clockwise direction, bringing it back to the main conveyor line where the plastic capping is attached. During cleaning operations, the underside of the heat sealer plate must be cleaned because the glue material from the foil often sticks unto its underside. This cleaning requires that the machine be running because reach from the other side is obstructed. During cleaning operations, the machine is placed on a jog mode during which it slows to 8 revolutions per minute from the production speed of 25 revolutions per minute. Cleaning operations involve placing a little pressure on the underside of the sealer plate with a wet sponge and a gloved hand while the plate rotates so the sponge can wipe off the entire underside surface of the plate as it completes a revolution. As Employee #1 was applying pressure against the underside of the sealer plate with her left hand, her hand was pulled into the pinch point where the heat seal plate approached the curved backstop. Her left hand became caught in that area as the heat plate continuously moved and she called out for another employee to activate the emergency button. After several seconds, she was able to pull her left hand out. Employee #1 was hospitalized for a laceration.