Whether you’re a professional carpenter or a do-it-yourselfer in Illinois or Indiana, chances are if you have built something, you have used a nail gun. These tools make construction much faster and easier, hence their popularity. Nevertheless, nail guns are dangerous, so learning how to handle one safely can prevent serious injuries.
How nail gun injuries happen
Approximately 37,000 emergency room visits occur each year due to injuries from nail guns. Two-thirds of those injuries result from construction accidents, while the remaining third involves consumers using the tools at home. Severe nail gun injuries have even led to deaths. Trigger nail guns have injury rates that are twice as high as those of sequential guns.
Understanding what causes nail gun injuries can help prevent accidents. These seven circumstances account for most nail gun mishaps on job sites:
- Missing the workpiece
- Double firing causing an unintended discharge
- Knocking the safety contact with the trigger squeeze resulting in an unintended discharge
- Nail penetration through lumber
- Awkward position while working
- Nail ricocheting after hitting a hard surface
- Bypassing safety mechanisms
Contractors can help prevent nail gun injuries in the workplace by providing training, establishing specific nail gun procedures, and only using full sequential trigger nail guns. Providing personal protective equipment can reduce injuries, along with discussing injuries and close calls when they happen.
Construction site negligence
If your employer didn’t take proper precautions, neglected to provide safety training, or still supplied workers with trigger nail guns, you might have a case of construction site negligence. Dangerous working conditions and the pressure to work quickly can increase the chances of injury.
When you’ve been injured due to your employer’s negligence, you have the right to press a lawsuit. The compensation from a successful lawsuit can help pay for medical treatments and more.