UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

At 6:20 p.m. on November 2, 2021, an employee was working as the operator of a b arge for a firm that manufactured organic chemicals. A logistics worker for the firm was lowering the unloading arm at the site's AN barge dock. The logistics w orker had provided a rope to the barge operator. The rope was used to guide the unloading arm from the dock down to the barge. The rope had counterweights that were secured when the rope was not in use. The logistics worker pulled both pins that secured the counterweights. She then grabbed the back of the counterweight handle and pulled the counterweights toward her. As she was guiding a counterwe ight past the AN unloading valve handle, the counterweight moved back too far. I t struck the AN unloading valve handle. The small finger on the barge operator's right hand was caught between the unloading valve and counterweight. The employ ee was transported to a hand surgeon, where it was decided to perform a partial finger amputation to the right fifth finger. The employee was not hospitalized.