Abstract: At approximately 9:45 a.m. on October 27, 1998, Employee #1, an apprentice sheet metal worker, was assisting in the handling of a 4 foot by 7.5 foot sheet of stainless steel during a fluting operation. The employee's left little finger was crushed between the dies of a press brake while performing this task. Employee #1 and another employee, an operator, completed the fluting of three sheets, each requiring 28 hits, earlier that morning without incident. The following is a description of the incident. After completing half the hits required, the metal sheet was removed from the machine, rotated, and reinserted to complete the other half. The ram was lowered until the manual stop prevented movement without reactivating the foot switch. A light curtain guard prevented further ram travel since hands holding the sheet metal interrupted the light beams. At that point, each employee positioned their fingers near the die so as to minimize light beam travel. A verbal command from the operator was given asking if it was clear to complete the ram travel. When Employee #1 answered in the affirmative to the request for a clearance to proceed, the operator began to lower the ram. Upon hearing a cry from Employee #1, the operator stopped lowering the ram and discovered that Employee #1's left little finger was caught between the dies. The operator immediately raised the ram, which freed the finger. First aid was given and Employee #1 was transported to a local trauma center. The finger was saved and Employee #1 returned to work four months later.