Abstract: At 2:30 p.m. on March 20, 2001, a serious occupational injury occurred at Romero's Food Products Inc in Santa Fe Springs, California. Employee #1 was employed by Romero's Food Products for about 2 years as a laborer to clean the machines. The injury occurred while Employee #1 was using a rag to clean the Teflon conveyor belt of the Casa Herrera Inc. tortilla press, Model Number HH1TP, Serial Number 9309338. Power to the tortilla press was not secured, nor was the equipment locked out or blocked out to prevent inadvertent movement. In order to clean the conveyor belt it was necessary to run the Teflon conveyor belt. Employee #1 held a cloth in his hand and was wiping the belt as it moved. As he made a swipe motion to clean the Teflon belt seam, the seam entered the press area. The 1500 psi hydraulic press cycled, smashing the hand of Employee #1. The opening between the bottom of the guard and the top of the conveyor belt was 2 inches and it was 2.25 inches from the front of the guard to the leading edge of the hydraulic press. At its upper most position it is 4.75 inches from the bottom of the press to the top of the conveyor belt. The employer had not trained employees to use extension tools and there were no extension tools available. The employer said employees were to use either the "jog" mode or the "Teflon belt only" mode when cleaning the tortilla press, but Employee #1 said the only way he knew how to clean the conveyor belt was with the press cycling. At the time of the inspection, the hydraulic press did not cycle when either the "jog" mode or the "Teflon belt only" mode were used, and other employees confirmed this was so at the time of the accident. Employee #1 was Spanish speaking and did not understand English, all of the selections on the touch control panel were in English. The employee was transported to Placentia Linda Hospital were he was treated for amputation of the right index and middle fingers.