Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1380836.015 - Cat-Spec,Ltd

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At 6:00 p.m. on January 26, 2019, Employee #1, a supervisor of an outside contractor, was working with his crew at a refinery. They had been performing various tasks related to the refinery's hydrotreater reactor. At the end of the workday, after securing the work area and performing general housekeeping, Employee #1 was descending the reactor's stairway. He lost his balance and used the stairway's handrail to brace himself. His right pinky finger became caught on the angle iron supporting the handrail. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairwell, the employee removed his glove and realized he had injured his finger. The employee received hospital treatment for a dislocated finger and laceration and was released. On January 30, the employee saw a hand specialist. He underwent surgery to partially amputate the finger because of an infection that had developed at the site of the injury.

Keywords: Amputated, Caught In, Construction, Descending, Dislocated, Entangled, Fall, Fall Protection, Finger, Handrail, Infection, Laceration, Lost Balance, Partial Amputation, Refinery, Stair