Abstract: At 8:30 a.m. on February 5, 2004, Employee #1, a machinist, was assigned by the steel department supervisor to drill holes in 2-ft long metal strips. The holes were pre-marked. Employee #1 was operating a 24-in. Bickford Drill press, Serial Number 972-03826-64 with a 0.375-in. drill bit. Employee #1 set a metal strip in the vice below the drill and manually lowered the bit. He drilled the hole, raised the drill bit and put the machine in neutral. Employee #1 loosened the vice and used his right hand to move the metal piece forward, so that he could drill the next hole. Employee #1's gloved finger became entangled in the rotating bit, and his right ring finger was amputated. The finger could not be reattached. Employee #1 was hospitalized for more than 24 hours. The employer requires employees to wear gloves while working with or handling metal pieces.