Abstract: At approximately 11:20 a.m. on July 8, 2003, Employee #1 of La County Sanitation was conducting quarterly preventative maintenance service to a clamshell monorail one-ton crane lift hoist. He was visually communicating via hand signals with a coworker, a power plant assistant with the Los Angeles County Refuse to-Energy Commerce Facility, who was in the control room. During the wire rope inspection phase, the cable of the crane was going in an upward direction. At the same time, the inspector would feel for cable defects while wearing his leather gloves. Employee #1's glove and right index finger inadvertently got caught between the cable and the hoist drum which resulted in the amputation of his right second middle finger. He was hospitalized at the Beverly Hospital and treated for the amputation.