However, despite the fact that they are a valuable instrument in a variety of industries, particularly in the construction industry, nail guns are dangerous power instruments.

An accident using a nail gun occurred in two out of every five residential carpenter trainees over the course of four years, as reported by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Having said that, it is necessary to have an understanding of the dangers associated with nail guns in order to develop safety criteria that will prevent injuries and deaths. For the purpose of this portion of the post, we will be talking about the risks that are associated with using nail guns.

Knocking the safety contact with the pressed trigger caused unintended nail discharge.

If the safety contact point is accidentally hit or pushed into an item or person while the trigger is pulled, nail guns with contact and single-actuation triggers will discharge. Single-actuation trigger nailers may injure through a single nail, whereas contact trigger nailers can injure with numerous nails.
Unintentional nail discharge is more likely when contact trigger or single-actuation trigger nail guns are held or carried with the trigger pressed. Because it seems more natural to wield and carry an 8-pound nail gun with a full, four-finger grip, construction workers often maintain a finger on the trigger. However, tool makers do caution against it.

Unintended nail discharge from double fire

Contact trigger nailers have been shown by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to be prone to double-firing, particularly when attempting to precisely position the nailer against the workpiece. They discovered that a second unintentional firing may occur more quickly than the person can react and pull the trigger. Unintentional firing of nails may result in harm. New workers may press hard on the tool to compensate for recoil, which might lead to double firing. Additionally, it may happen when the user is in an uncomfortable posture, including in confined locations where the pistol has little room to recoil. In confined places, the nail gun's recoil may potentially injure the user's head or face in addition to their nails.

Nail ricochet after striking

As soon as a nail makes contact with a hard surface, it is forced to reverse its trajectory, and it has the potential to bounce off the surface, turning into a projectile. Ricochets are often caused by components such as metal frame bolts and knots in wood. In addition, ricochets have been seen to be a problem when nailing into thick laminated beams. Injuries may be caused by ricochet nails if they come into contact with the worker or personnel around the working area.

Missing the work piece

When the tip of the nail gun does not make complete contact with the workpiece and the nail that is released gets airborne, there is a possibility that anyone may sustain an injury. Whenever you nail close to the edge of a workpiece, such as a hard metal plate, you run the risk of experiencing this. There is a greater degree of difficulty in positioning the safety contact in these circumstances, and there are instances in which the fired nail totally misses the timber. There have also been instances of injuries occurring as a result of a nail that was blasted through plywood or oriented strand board sheets without hitting a stud and becoming airborne.

Penetrated nails through workpiece

Nails may fly off as projectiles (airborne nails) or strike the worker's hand after passing through a workpiece. An example would be a blow-out nail. When a nail is positioned close to a knot in the wood, blow-outs may happen. A shift in wood grain caused by knots may result in both hard and weak places, which can cause the nail to veer out of the workpiece. When a piece of timber has to be manually held in place during installation labour, nail penetration is particularly problematic. The nondominant hand holding the nail may sustain injuries if it misses or breaks through the timber.

Awkward position

The danger of damage may rise if you nail in awkward postures where it is more difficult to control the instrument and its recoil. Toe-nailing, nailing over shoulder height, nailing in confined spaces, using the nondominant hand to handle the nail gun, nailing on a ladder, and nailing while the user's body is in the line of fire (nailing in your own direction) are a few examples. Because the gun cannot be held flat against the workpiece, toe-nailing is problematic. It is challenging to precisely place the nail gun while nailing from a ladder. The user is also in danger of falling if they nail further than is comfortable from a ladder, high work platform, or leading edge.

Removing safety mechanisms

There is a significant danger of harm if certain characteristics of the trigger or safety contact tip are disregarded or disabled. For instance, the likelihood of an unintentional discharge increases when the spring is removed from the safety contact point. Anybody using the nail gun may have safety issues as a result of tool modifications. Manufacturers of nail guns explicitly advise against evading safety measures, and voluntary standards forbid tampering or alterations. All hand and power tools and comparable equipment, whether provided by the employer or the employee, must be kept in a safe condition in accordance with OSHA's construction standard, 29 CFR 1926.300(a). To know more about Nail Gun Safety Requirements, check this out: OSHA nail gun safety