Abstract: On July 31, 2005, Employee #1, with Bimbo Bakeries USA, was pushing a jammed piece of crumb on the bed of a machine in production department. His left thumb became caught in a chain and sprocket drive. Employee #1 was treated at Western Hand Center for an amputation of the thumb. There were no witnesses to the accident. According to the employer's safety manager, Employee #1 failed to use a hand brush for the job and chose to clear the jam manually. Employee #1 stated that machine was not deenergized to preclude shutdown of the entire production line. An inspection of the facility revealed several chain and sprocket drives without guarding.