Abstract: At approximately 10:00 a.m. on February 2, 2010, a coworker, an automotive technician of New Century Volkswagen, was trying to lower a vehicle on a lift after his automotive work was completed. The lift was not functioning properly and only the passenger side of the lift was getting lowered, causing the vehicle to tilt to one side. The coworker tried to lower the vehicle several times without success. Employee #1 walked past the coworker's station, and the coworker asked him for help. The coworker removed the cover on the locking mechanism of the lift and asked Employee #1 to see if he could tell what was wrong when he tried to lower the lift. Employee #1 was standing on the driver side of the lift (where the locking mechanism was located), and the coworker was standing on the passenger side of the lift (where the control levers were located). Employee #1 had his right hand on the pillar of the lift near the locking mechanism. The coworker asked Employee #1 if he was clear, and Employee #1 replied that he was. The coworker lowered the lever to release the locking mechanism and held down another lever to release the hydraulics of the lift. Employee #1's hand slipped and his right 5th finger got caught by the latch of the locking mechanism. Employee #1 was transported to a hospital, where he was treated for a partial amputation to his right 5th finger and was referred to a hand specialist for follow-up care. The service company inspected the lift after the incident and found no deficiencies. However, the safety cable of the locking mechanism was replaced as per the service manager's request. Rotary Lift manufactured the lift and its capacity was 7,000 lbs. The model number and serial number were SPOA7 and ABA94C0191, respectively. The lift had an annual inspection conducted on January 7, 2010. The employer had effective safety programs and administered a disciplinary action to both employees for trying to assess the problem without reporting it to management first. Both employees acknowledged that they had violated the employer's safety rules. Cal/OSHA determined there were no violations.