Abstract: At approximately 10:35 a.m. on December 16, 1997, Employee #1 was cutting edge molding at a 45-to-60 degree angle to the right of 90 degrees. The original placement of the 10 in. miter saw, a Ryobi TS-251U, with no blade safety guard, was on a counter top approximately 3-ft high by 3 ft wide by 1 ft deep. A storage shelf approximately 3 ft high by 5 ft wide by 1 ft deep ran perpendicular to the counter top. The angle of the cut and because of the storage shelf restricting movement to the right, Employee #1 had to lean to right to hold stock with his right hand and operate miter saw with his left arm bent close to his left body. Employee #1 stated that several cuts were made before the incident. Around 10:35 A.M., Employee #1 was in the process of cutting stock when his left hand slipped off of the saw handle. Because there was no blade safety guard fronting the blade and hood, Employee #1's left hand dropped vertically and contacted the exposed blade below the blade's hood. Employee #1 received a severe cut which ran from the base of his left thumb to the base of the left index finger in the area of the base knuckle. Employee #1 was hospitalized for his injuries.