Abstract: At approximately 11:09 a.m. on July 11, 1997, Employee #1, who had nine years of combined experience as a construction laborer, was using a skill saw to cut a 1 in. thick by 2 ft wide by 4 ft long piece of plywood. He was holding the wood in one hand and the saw in the other, and was making the final cut when the saw became jammed. Employee #1 was able to cut the last section holding the piece together, but as he did so the saw became free and kicked back. He sustained a laceration to his left middle finger and his left thumb was partially amputated. Employee #1 was taken to USC Medical Center for treatment; he was released on July 13, 1997.