Abstract: At 10:35 AM on May 20, 2008, Employee #1, an apprentice electrician with Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc., was performing a sporadically-assigned task of assisting a journeyman electrician to remove rope from a wire pulling machine and guide the rope into a conduit. The crew was installing 500MCM wire for a Metro Link project. Approximately 300 feet of 0.625 in. synthetic rope had been installed in a conduit and an additional 30 feet was needed. As directed by the journeyman electrician, Employee #1 grasped the rope with his gloved hands and applied tension to keep the rope taught while the journeyman started the machine. After some difficulty, the machine started suddenly. The rope was rapidly pulled in, trapping and crushing Employee #1's right hand between the rope and the level guide. He was hospitalized at Huntington Memorial Hospital for the amputation of four fingers. The investigation concluded that the machinery involved in this injury was used with defective parts, thereby creating a hazardous condition.