Abstract: At approximately 12:05 p.m. on July 25, 2003, Employee #1 was working as a processor for a company that manufactures sauces for commercial restaurants. Employee #1 was preparing sauce in a 300-gallon capacity kettle (Hamilton Kettle Serial Number B9163-1). The kettle had an agitator that rotated and mixed the sauce. He was adding powdered ingredients into the kettle with a "pot". The "pot" was a steel cylindrical container with handles diametrically opposed and located approximately two inches below the rim of the bowl. He was pouring the contents of the pot into the kettle when the pot slipped from his grasp and the agitator, which was still rotating, pressed the pot into his left hand. The tip of his long finger on his left hand was trapped between the bowl and the surface of the kettle and was amputated from the squeezing action of the rim of the pot and the surface of the kettle. Employee #1 stated that the bowl was missing one of the two handles and he was holding the bowl from one of the handles. Employee #1 was transported to the Surgical Institute in Encino. The investigation revealed that there was no guard for the kettle and lockout/tagout procedures were not followed by the employer.