Nail guns are used every single day all throughout the United States. These guns are very common in residential construction. They boost productivity because they minimize the need for hammers. Yet while these guns can be beneficial, they also cause tens of thousands of painful injuries in construction accidents every single year.
Nail gun injuries are so common that one study determined that two out of every five residential carpenters will suffer a nail gun injury within any four-year period. Many nail gun injuries are never reported or treated at a medical facility.
This means that the actual statistics on nail gun injuries are not actually known. One research study discovered that those using a single-shot sequential trigger nail gun are twice as likely to be injured as those that are using a single-shot nail gun. This is because the rapid fire of a multi-shot trigger gun is more likely to shoot in a dangerous direction.
Estimates gathered show that there are about 37,000 emergency room visits related to a nail gun injury each year. Severe nail gun injuries have led to construction worker deaths in the past. About two-thirds of all nail gun accidents happen in residential construction when workers are doing framing or sheathing work. Injuries also commonly occur in roofing and exterior siding and finishing.
One out of every five individuals injured by a nail gun was then injured again later on. About one in every ten people are injured three or more times by a nail gun while working in construction. More than half of all nail gun injuries are to the hands and fingers, and reports show that one-fourth of all nail injuries involve structural damage to the tendons, nerves, joints, or bones. The most serious nail gun injuries normally occur to the spinal cord, neck, head, eye, and internal organs or bones. Some less common injuries occur to the forearm and wrist every year.
Most accidents happen when construction workers aren’t wearing proper protective equipment or when they are not given the training that they need to work with the gun. The OSHA has safety standards to hold contractors and employers accountable. If these rules and standards aren’t honored, and people get hurt as a result, you may be able to seek damages.
If you have been injured by a nail gun, you need a New York workers’ compensation lawyer to represent you in your case. An attorney at Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman is willing to assist you in your case and help you to get the compensation that you deserve. With the right lawyer there to assist you, you can get the financial reimbursement that you deserve for any medical attention that you required after your accident.