The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, in cooperation with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have issued a new set of guidelines to help those in the construction industry avoid work-related nail gun accidents and injuries, according to news sources.
The text, called Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors, is expected to “help construction employers make necessary changes to improve nail gun safety and protect their workers from preventable injuries and death,” according to the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
Nail gun injuries currently make up 37,000 of the emergency room visits that occur each year. Though they are relatively simple in design, injuries and sometimes deaths can occur while using nail guns. Sometimes nails bounce off a surface and fly somewhere they were not intended to, which can easily pierce a worker.
As a Los Angeles wrongful death attorney, safety in the workplace is important to me and I’m glad to see this federal agency is taking steps to prevent injury and death. In my experience as a personal injury lawyer, I know that many accidents in the workplace can be prevented if proper safety guidelines are followed. I hope this new text will prevent injuries in the construction industry.