An estimated 1 million people were injured on the job in 2020. While some of those are due to accidents that occur on a daily basis, some of them could have been prevented with proper employee training and training courses.
If your workplace involves the use of machinery or tools, it is important that everyone knows how to safely use them. One such tool may be the nail gun.
Keep reading to learn more about nail gun safety in the workplace.
The Do's of Nail Gun Safety
When it comes to nail gun safety, there are a few things you need to know about, especially when it comes to employee training if they will be using a nail gun. This can help prevent unnecessary injuries as well as prevent any lawsuits if someone does get injured.
Trigger Mechanisms
One thing you want to understand is how the nail gun's trigger mechanisms work. This means knowing how it works when it nails into something as well as what it feels like upon contact with the trigger.
You and your employees should know how to manage the trigger and know what to expect when you pull it for workplace safety.
Always Provide Safety Training
As an employer, it is a must to provide safety training to your employers. This training course should go through everything about a nail gun, from the parts of it to how to properly use it.
At the end of it, your employers should know exactly what they are doing when using one.
It may even be smart to do a yearly training course to ensure your workers have not forgotten any useful information about the nail gun.
Check Before Use
As with most things that can be potentially dangerous, it is always important to check the nail gun for any damage before use. You need to make sure it is in proper working order before starting to use it.
This will ensure that you catch anything that could potentially go wrong before it actually goes wrong.
Safety Gear
You need to make sure you and your employees are wearing the proper safety gear when you use a nail gun. You should provide this to your employees so that there is no gray area for them to get hurt. The safety gear you should have is:
- Hard and close-toed shoes
- Hard hats for head safety
- Earmuffs for the loud noise
- Safety goggles to protect your eyes from any flying nails
You should never operate a nail gun without taking these precautions.
Keep Hands Away
When using the nail gun, you do not want to put your other hand anywhere near the nail gun. If you need to use that hand to stabilize something, it should be at least 12 inches from the nail gun.
The best practice is to keep both hands on the nail gun itself to ensure you don't risk getting hurt.
Ladder Work
The odds are that you will be working on a ladder at some point with a nail gun. When you do this, ensure you have three points of contact with the ladder at all times, so you reduce your risk of falling.
The Don'ts of Nail Gun Safety
While there are certain things you need to do to ensure your nail gun safety, there are also a few things you do not want to do when using a nail gun. Read on to learn more about these.
Safety Features
Do not interfere with the safety features of a nail gun. You should never tamper with the device to change things or press things that you are not sure what they do. This could cause many risk factors as well as make using it way more dangerous.
Don't Hold the Trigger
You're going to have to carry the nail gun around with you at some points. However, it is important not to keep your finger on the nail gun trigger when not actually using it.
This will make sure you don't actually squeeze the gun and shoot a nail in the wrong direction.
Don't Use for Difficult Positions
Using a nail gun for something that is a bit more difficult may not be the best idea. If something seems awkward or hard to get to, it is best to stick with a hammer for the job.
Don't Use Your Non-Dominant Hand
Never use your non-dominant hand when operating the nail gun. It is not as precise and it can be more clumsy, which is not safe when handling machinery like a nail gun.
Don't Point the Tool at Anyone
Always keep the nail gun aiming toward the ground and do not have your finger on the trigger when it does not need to be there.
The last thing you want to do is point the tool at someone. If you accidentally pressed the trigger, this could severely hurt someone.
Nail Gun Safety
When it comes to using a nail gun, you need to know the basics to stay safe and use it properly.
You also need to ensure your employees are safe when using a nail gun in the workplace.
If you're ready to ensure the safety of your workplace as well as your employees, it is time to put everyone through a nail gun safety course! At Compliance Training Online, we make sure to train to the best of our ability to keep everyone safe.
Ready to get started? Contact us today!
