Construction Worker Injured in Accident with Nail Gun
GA- The nypost.com writes that a construction worker’s accident with a nail gun was caught on camera a few weeks ago. The victim was working on building a play pirate ship when he picked up the nail gun and brushed it against his leg. The gun fired shooting the man through the thigh with a three-inch penny nail. The nail has grooves on its sides which make it difficult to extract.*
The man first attempted to use pliers to remove the nail, but the effort was painful and unsuccessful. Paramedics brought the man to the hospital where he was treated with pain medication. Ultimately, doctors were able to remove the nail safely.
Nail guns are a dangerous tool which cause around 37,000 visits to emergency rooms every year. Out of the people who are injured in these accidents, about 68 percent are construction workers, while the rest are consumers. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that some of these accidents prove fatal.
According to the CDC, there are common causes of nail gun accidents, including that the nail gun double fires. The nail discharges because someone knocks the safety while the trigger is being pushed, the nail goes through a piece of wood being worked on, a nail ricochets off a surface, the worker misses the intended surface, the worker is using an awkward position, or because workers have bypassed the safety mechanisms on the device.
In order to prevent these dangerous accidents, workers need proper training on these devices, and worksites need to establish procedures that protect against accidents. Anyone using a nail gun should also be wearing protective gear, including eye wear. Workers who have had accidents or close calls with one of these tools are encouraged to report the incident to help their employers develop better safety procedures.
Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes. To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.
Source:https://nypost.com/2019/10/09/construction-worker-shoots-himself-with-nail-gun-tries-to-remove-nail-with-pliers/