Abstract: Sometime on May 10, 2012, an Employee #1 was working as a carpenter for the Cairn Construction Company, Inc., in Portola Valley, CA. A small exercise building was being constructed at a residential jobsite by the employer. Employee #1 was ripping a length of wood using a Makita Model 2703 table saw without a blade guard, splitter, or anti-kickback device installed. Two coworkers, one a supervisor and the other another carpenter, said they heard the saw make a loud noise. Then they heard Employee #1 call for help. Employee #1 was not sure if the saw stalled or kicked back, but his right hand came into contact with the saw blade. He completely severed the little finger of his right hand and severely cut the index, middle, and ring fingers of that hand. Those fingers sustained deep lacerations just short of amputation. The middle finger was later surgically amputated in surgery. The supervisor said that he thought Employee #1 was cutting shiplap joints on the wood sections and that therefore the guarding device or devices could not be utilized at the time of the accident. Employee #1 said that all the shiplap joints were cut using a router for the entire job. This was confirmed by the business owner. All employees at the site and company personnel interviewed noted that the type of wood being cut, ipe, was extremely dense. Five employees stated they had never seen the combination guard, spreader, and anti-kickback device that was onsite at the time of the inspection. Upon request, the supervisor was unable to successfully install the guard, spreader, and anti-kickback device during the onsite inspection.