Abstract: Employee #1 was putting a handle part into a 60 ton Chicago press, #0117, serial #1-12216, with a 97 in. ram. Press operation was a two-step process as two handles had to be in the die at the same time. The ends of one handle were flattened while holes were punched into the flattened ends of another handle. The employee was checking on a handle for a seam that had to be in the down position. The press activated on its own, catching her left hand in the left die and amputating her index, middle, and ring fingers and crushing her little finger. Investigation revealed that the bearing for the fly wheel was frozen solid. The clutch and brake mechanism overrode the safety light curtain, causing the machine to activate. There were no records of regular machine checks and interviews with the employee indicated that no preventive maintenance had been done for the last several years.