Abstract: At approximately 2:00 p.m. on January 20, 1992, Employee #1 was pushing and rolling a piece of 10 ft long 2 in. pipe into a grove in order to pressure test it for leaks. The employee had already tested 100 pipes that day. He was aligning the pipe into its position with one hand while simultaneously operating the lever of the testing panel or ram, which covers the pipe's end, with the other hand. The testing panel caught and amputated his right thumb, causing him to be hospitalized. The employee had been informed never to adjust and test the pipe at the same time. The employee was properly trained and had sufficient experience; he admitted that he had made a mistake. No defects in the equipment or with the testing procedure were found to account for the accident. The employer stated that the company had no previous experience such as this and had no way of knowing that the accident would happen.