Abstract: At about 11:00 p.m. on April 22, 2004, Employee #1 was working in the foundry building at Gregg Industries, located in El Monte, CA. Employee #1 had been performing this job for about 6 years. Employee #1 and a coworker were using a hoist to lift two weights, each weighing 488 pounds, using a unique hook that was passed through the center of each weight and cradled a horizontal bar that ran through the center of the bottom weight. The hook was kept in place by placing a wooden wedge between the back of the hook shank and the weights. Employee #1 was operating the hoist and the coworker was about 5 feet away. Employee #1 was using his right hand to operate the hoist buttons and using his left hand to maintain tension on the hoist cable. The weights were about 4.5 feet above the floor, when Employee #1 began to move the load to his right and the bottom weight fell and struck his right foot. Employee #1 was transported to USC Medical Center, where he was hospitalized for 12 days due to amputation of the right little toe, a pin inserted in the next toe, and a deep laceration extending from his little toe to the middle of his instep. Employee #1 said he told another coworker on a previous occasion that the weight had slipped and was told by that coworker to be careful. The first coworker, who was working with Employee #1, said he had seen the weight slip once before while working with Employee #1.