Abstract: At approximately 4:00 a.m. on December 10, 1987, Employee #1, a press operator, was operating a Bliss 75 ton part revolution mechanical power press, serial #70375, company #P44, with brake monitor, processed palm buttons, and a presence sensing device. Employee #1 was manually feeding the F-10 spider blank parts; he had his hands in the die and was pressing both palm buttons. After the press cycled and formed the part, Employee #1 reached into the point of operation to retrieve the part. At the same time, he saw the ram start to fall and pulled his right hand from the point of operation. His right thumb became caught between the top and bottom dies, crushing the knuckle. The press had been put into operation before necessary maintenance and repairs had been performed.