Abstract: At approximately 11:30 a.m. on February 19, 2009, an employee, a pest control technician was ripping a 0.75-in. by 4-in. four foot long piece of wood for a foot by a foot pillar trim using a portable power driven circular hand saw, Skilsaw Model Number HD77, Serial Number 68719, HH-127145, with 7.25-in. blade. The telescopic guard on the saw was prevented from operating automatically by a wooden wedge that held it back in an inoperative position. The employee was holding the saw with his right hand and the board with his left hand, an unsafe act that was contrary to the manufacturer's safety rules. He started the ripping cut without the use of a rip fence or a straight edge guise, also an unsafe act that was contrary to the manufacturer's safety rules. The blade bound and the saw kicked back and contacted the employee's left hand injuring it seriously. The employee was transported to Loma Linda University Medical Center where he was hospitalized and treated for a finger amputation.