Abstract: On August 19, 2002, Employee #1 was operating a Schirp textile slitter. It had a conveyor composed of 13-ft 9.5-in.-long wooden slats that moved the fabric into the machine and through the point of operation, where the fabric would be cut or perforated. The machine was set up to perforate the fabric in 8 ft sections, incorporating a ram with needles embedded 1 in. apart across the 13 ft 6.25 in. length of the machine and extending 0.75 in. to 1 in. from the die. Employee #1 was tending the machine when the fabric became caught on the bed of the slitter after the perforator had penetrated the fabric. She reached her right hand inside the point of operation to straighten out the fabric when the perforator cycled and the needles caught her hand, amputating four of her fingers. There were three guards on the slitter. One was a 15-ft 8.125-in.-wide by 3-ft 5-in.-tall by 3-ft 5-in.-long guard on wheels that extended across the width of the slitter bed. This guard was not fixed or interlocked. The two other guards were 2-ft 1.125-in.-wide by 3-ft 3-in.-tall, with 1 in. by 0.375 in. mesh. These gates were installed on both sides of the machine, just behind the point of operation, and were neither interlocked nor fixed. The gate on the left side of the machine was closed and had a bolt slid through the tongue to keep it shut. The gate on the right side of the machine was open. The large guard was open approximately 36 in. at the time of the inspection.