During scrape steel load out operations with a Volvo 290 excavator E/O ee was stopped by E/O ee to ask a question. E/O ee stopped the operation to talk to ee. EE did not set grappler bucket on the ground it was suspended 2 to 3 ft above scrape steel a piece of steel fell out of grappler and hit the pile steel sending a small piece of steel into the finger of ee.