Abstract: At approximately 8:30 a.m. on March 13, 1995, Employee #1, of Western Industrial Management, Inc., was a temporary employee working at Angelus Block Company, Fontana, CA, which manufactures concrete blocks for the construction industry. Blocks were being split to enable contractors to use half blocks to start and/or complete rows of block walls, and Employee #1 had been assigned to stack the split blocks on a pallet. A coworker was operating the concrete block splitting machine. Employee #1 convinced the coworker that they should switch job assignments to share the hard work. After the morning break, the two workers switched positions. Employee #1 was loading blocks onto the splitter when his hand became caught between the splitting head and the handle of the hoist. He pulled his hand back quickly, causing the skin and flesh to be pulled from between the first and second knuckles of his left index finger. His finger was amputated.