Abstract: On September 9, 1997, Employee #1 reached into the point of operation of a 125-ton Federal Punch Press to remove sheet metal when the ram came down and crushed his hand. Several witnesses said that Employee #1 was placing his hand in the die to push the shelf dividers that he was making through the die opening onto the conveyor belt, which was below the opening. While he was reaching into the die, his foot was still on the pedal and inadvertently cycled the press. Employee #1's had got caught between the dies. According to Employee #1 and his coworkers, the supervisor had been informed that the light curtain was too low, thus not providing protection for the operator. If the light curtain had been adjusted properly, the ram would not have descended while Employee #1's hand was in the point of operation. Employee #1's crushed right hand resulted in partial amputations of three of his fingers.