WHILE INSTALLING A HOIST REPAIR LINK, EE WAS USING A SLEDGE HAMMER TO LINE UP THE LINK HALVES. AS HE SWUNG THE HAMMER, EE HAD PUT HIS HAND ON THE LINK & THE HAMMER HIT HIS THUMB. HE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL EMERGENCY ROOM & STITCHES WERE PUT IN HIS THUMB. HE BEGAN LOSING TIME AWAY FROM WORK ON 06/18/02.