Don't Get Nailed!

[Rick Orwig]

Per an article in "This Old House" magazine there are 14,800 nail-gun accidents a year among nonprofessions which I think would include many of us. Norm's friend Tom Silva offers these safety tips: - Take your finger off the trigger immediately after you're driven in a fastener - Use a nailer with a sequential-trip trigger - Wear safety glasses - Never aim the business end at a hand or any body part - Keep digits at least 10 inches to the side of the impact point - Remove the gun from the power source when loading or clearing jams We probably all have seen fired nails glance off hidden knots and nails causing fish-hooking. This article was a wake-up call for me.

 

[christopheralan]

I still work around the military and one of the other civilians I work with drove a nail clean through his hand when the gun recoiled. In a funny twist of irony, he is now the Unit Safety Officer...

 

[Mark Anderson]

i've never been nailed but have drive too many to the hospital to get the nail pulled out...you get to see some real neet x-rays.

if you are nailed do not pull the nail out yourself. too high of a risk of nerve damage expecialy if nailed in the hand, seek medical treatment.

also most nails are coated, and this coating can cause more problems than the nail itself.

 

[Bryan S]

if you are nailed do not pull the nail out yourself. too high of a risk of nerve damage expecialy if nailed in the hand, seek medical treatment.
.

Great advice Mark. Just last week I had to take some cutters to the ED cause someone had come in with a nail in him. The Doctor had to cut the head off and push the nail on through the direction it was going. I heard her tell the patient that you do more damage pulling it back than to push it on through.

 

[toolferone]

Okay, I guess I will fess up. I have put a 3" frame nail into my left palm after a double hit bump fire. The weird thing is it only went in about 3/16", just sort of hanging there. I just about fell out when I touched it and it did not even bleed. I did go to the clinic and get it looked at and got a very painful tetanus shot. It hurt much worse then the nail did.

 

[scsmith42]

Now you tell me! :lol:

Add to your list - don't use nailguns if you're in a bad mood (such as mad at the LOYL). Don't ask me how I know this...

Three years ago I put 3-1/4" of a 3-1/2" ring shank nail into my hand, running parallel with the palm. I swear, I felt every ring of the ring shank when it was pulled out!

In my instance, I was building a stud wall horizontal on the ground, and was holding a stud in my left hand and nailing the plate to the bottom of it. The plate had a gap between it and the stud, so I was trying to use the nailgun to shove the two together before pulling the trigger. The first shot wasn't successful, so I pulled the nailgun back and then slammed it into the plate, trying to force the two together. Unfortunately, I misjudged - the safety on the nail gun just caught the top edge of the plate - depressing it, and the nail shot right over the top of the plate and into my hand.

My wife hear me bellowing bad words... and she was 600' away.

The worst part of it was, the hospital charged me for the really cool stainless steel vice grips that they used to pull it out, but wouldn't let me take them home!:lol:

 

[LeftyTom]

But I can still get hammered, right?

 

[Gone2dMtns]

I can imagine that the statistics have seen a considerable increase due to some of these DIY shows that advocate usage of nail guns. DIY to the Rescue is one show that comes to mind. Seems that at least every episode or so they are teaching the homeowner how to use a nailgun and a compund miter saw.

I love my framing nailer... have run thousands of nails through it, but still haven't had the courage or confidence to install the bump trigger.

Mike C.

 

[Splinter]

Another tip for the list: Don't let anyone stand in the "line of fire". If the nail missed the stud of whatever the nail could fly across the room which is not a good thing to happen. Don't ask me how I know that.:BangHead:

 

[sapwood]

Thanks for all the reminders . . . with apologies for any painful experiences you may have suffered :icon_thum

And I thought hammers were dangerous :roll:

Roger

 

[McRabbet]

I've used pneumatic nailers from a ful framer to a pin nailer (and two sizes in between) and have had a few exciting moments with of them. I have a P-C FR-350 framing nailer that shoots 3-1/2" round head sinkers -- more than once, it has bounced after the first nail is shot and, because the trigger is still depressed during the rebound, a second nail is shot when the "safety" tip gets depressed. I never allow my hands even close to the action! Personally, I think my finish nailer is more likely to produce an injurt, especially when shooting 2" or 2-1/2" finishing nails. If they hit the grain funny, the nail can turn 45º at rocket speed -- your hand better not be securing the work!

 

[jglord]

The first time I tried my new framing nailer, it had the factory installed bounce trigger. I tried it out and drove a second nail almost on top of the first when the thing recoiled and fired.

I took off the bounce trigger and installed the single fire and have never gone back. The bounce trigger definitely adds and great deal of danger. IMHO, get rid of the thing.:icon_thum

 

[alleng]

i too have been nailed.was reaching out to nail a side header to the end header with my left hand while holding on with the right hand,the gun had the bump trigger in it,it double shot.the second nail missed the wood and i had about 1'' of a 3'' framing nail stickin out of my hand:crybaby2: .after we pulled the nail out,we stopped and changed out all the triggers to the grey safty triggers.

 

[BillPappas]

Reminds me of a metal smith in the Coast Guard that drilled a hole in his hand then had to show the safety officer how he did it and with the SO watching drilled another hole. :eusa_doh:

 

[Dusty Sawyer]

A few years ago I was building a deck and nailing the band boards together on the ends. When this happened I was working on an octagonal section, so the angles were at 45 and not 90 degrees. As we all know, when you get tired and sweaty, you may not make the best of decisions. Holding one 2x10 in place with my right hand, I proceeded to nail through another 2x10 to hold them together.

A right handed person using a nailer in the left hand, it turns out, was not the brightest decision I made that day. The nail ended up not really into the first board as much as it went right through it, missed the second board and went right into my index finger. I showed it to the LOML and drove myself to the ER.

Long story short; and here is what I've not heard anyone say so far; If you hit the bone of your thumb or finger, it will shatter. When that happens, they have little choice except to amputate the problem. I was lucky in that respect, but the on call doc decided to pull the 3 1/2" ring-shank out rather than through. So now I get some odd sensation in my finger-tip for no reason.