One of the most dangerous tools that someone could easily use improperly is the pneumatic nail gun. If used correctly, the pneumatic nail gun is a great tool to make your work much faster. However, if it’s not used correctly, nails can easily be lodged in your fingers and/or hands. Worse yet, there was a case, among other things, where a worker couldn’t understand why he had a toothache. Turns out that the dentist discovered a four-inch nail lodged in his mouth…tasty. If you prefer not to be in pain, here are some safety tips to hopefully get you closer to that goal:

Respect the tool
This is a pretty simple concept but if you don’t know how to use a nail gun don’t try and use it. Know all of the tools functions and how it operates by reading the directions for it first. With those things in mind, it also doesn’t matter if you know the instructions if the gun is ill-maintained so be sure to keep it in tip-top shape.

Avoid modifications
The reason that accidents happen a lot in the first place is because the gun has been modified by removing the safety spring near the nose guard for faster nailing. This is bad for a couple reasons. The first is because when that nose guard spring is gone, all that needs to happen for the gun to go off is for the trigger to be depressed. The second reason is that because of the automatic firing sequence, you are more prone to shooting two nails at once, meaning that the second doesn’t have anyplace to go…but up.

Use common sense
When you are using your tool, make sure that you are wearing safety glasses with side shields. When you leaving your gun unattended, make sure that it cannot fire by disconnecting its air supply.

These tips may seem simplistic but often times the simplest things is what gets careless operators injured. The pneumatic nailer is a great tool but can also be a deadly one if used improperly.

Source: Tools of the Trade