Abstract: At approximately 2:38 p.m. on September 20, 2005, Employee #1, a temporary laborer, and other coworkers were clearing trees from a burned areas. The trees were cut into 18-in.-long timber rounds that would then be processed into firewood. The crew used a 25-ton log splitter (Timberwolf Manufacturing Corporation, Model TW-5) to shape the rounds into logs of firewood. While the splitter was still running, Employee #1 and the leadman decided to move the splitter closer to the log pile. Employee #1 placed his left hand on the wedge of the splitter when the machine operator unintentionally activated the splitter. The machine drove a log into his hand, crushing it between the wedge and the log. Employee #1 was transported to a medical center. At the medical center, he underwent surgical procedures for the fractures sustained in his hand. Following the surgical procedures, he was hospitalized for postoperative care and treatment, and discharged four days later.