Abstract: At approximately 2:07 p.m. on September 23, 2003, an employee, a carpenter, was working in the carpentry shop. The employee's job was to build small end tables to be glued together from small strips and blocks of hardwood, averaging 4-in. to 6-in. in width using a SCMI Wood Mill shop table saw. The saw was equipped with a hood saw guard mechanism that was mounted on a custom fabricated swing arm, secured to the right of the unit. The employee was pushing on wood strip approximately 4-ft wide and 18-in. long with his hands, to finish the trim on one edge. The employee was cutting each piece to size on the shop table saw, as he built the individual tables. The employee's hand came in contact with the rotating table saw blade, resulting in the immediate amputation of three finger tips, around the first joint on each. He was transported by coworkers to the local medical clinic used for worker's compensation injuries. He was later transported to County USC Hospital, where surgery was performed on the fingers and he was hospitalized for several days. The saw guard arrangement had been swung out of the way on a swing arm above the machine. The employee did not use a push stick, because he needed to hold on to the wood to control it.