Abstract: On September 1, 2004, an employee worked at the Edco Waste and Recycling Plant located in Lemon Grove, California. The employee sorted through the tin can recyclables while the feed conveyor belt operated. Other employees also removed cardboard, plastic and other material that did not belong on the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt was 5-ft wide and 96-ft long, and discharged to a hopper that fed a bailer. The employee walked on the moving conveyor when his leg fell through an opening in the conveyor belt. A metal beam used for support, underneath the belt, trapped his foot. The employee's supervisor worked on a mezzanine above the conveyor belt and saw the accident. He hit the feed conveyor control button to stop the belt. The employee's ankle was trapped and it had to be extricated by the Fire Department. The injured employee was admitted to Mercy Hospital in San Diego, California, for three days, and underwent surgery for a fractured ankle.