Since 1991, nail gun injuries have increased by 200%. Pneumatic nail guns use compressed air to drive a nail into a piece of wood, stone, steel or concrete and are a very common and useful work tools in construction sites across the United States. They are easy to use and promote efficiency in the workplace. Increasingly, homeowners and consumers are using them for do-it-yourself home repairs, projects and hobbies.
There are two types of nail guns currently in use: sequential trip and coil (contract trip). The sequential trip are considered much safer as the head of the tool needs to be depressed along with the trigger. Some consumer groups and occupational epidemiologists call for the total ban of the coil type as they can sometimes misfire when bumped or when they recoil. However, some manufacturers and employers put speed above safety.
In the past five years the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that nail gun injuries cause more than 100 people a day to seek medical attention in an hospital emergency room. Sometimes the injuries can be quite serious, resulting in the loss of an eye or even death. Many times, it is not the nail gun operator but a co-worker or a passerby that is injured.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed by a nail gun due to someone else's negligence, you should contact The Farber Law Group. With our experience in construction accidents and injuries, we can investigate to ascertain whether the workplace had safety precautions in place, that operators had proper training, were not using alcohol and drugs at the time of the accident and that the tools were maintained in proper condition without safety features being overridden. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.