Abstract: At approximately 1:00 p.m. On October 24, 2002, an employee working in a manufacturing facility was operating a Bench master 15-ton electrically-powered air activated clutch punch press, Model 251, Serial Number 61444lY. A strip of rubber or fiber material is fed from a roll into an automatic feed on one end of the machine while the operator, sitting on a stool, on the other end controls the operation of the machine with a foot pedal. In order to run this machine in a continuous mode, the operator keeps the foot pedal pressed with his foot and slightly pulls on the out coming punched strip. The punched circular gaskets fall out of the strip and a chute deposits them in a box sitting on the floor. Operator's task is to separate the scrap material from the punched gaskets. At the time of this accident, the material jammed in the die. The employee stopped the machine using the stop button and removed the cage around the point of operation. While he was removing the material from the die, the machine cycled again and his left hand was crushed in the die. The employee suffered amputation of left middle finger.