Nail Gun Safety (Pneumatic Nailers)
Construction · Ver en español
Talking points
- Sequential trigger nailers (one nail per deliberate trigger pull) are significantly safer than contact (bump-fire) nailers, which fire whenever the nose is depressed and the trigger is held.
- Double fires — two nails discharged in rapid succession from recoil — are a leading cause of nail gun injuries. They occur more frequently with contact triggers.
- Never carry a nail gun with your finger on the trigger. Remove your finger from the trigger between every shot. This simple habit prevents most accidental discharges.
- Nails can penetrate through thin materials (plywood, siding, drywall) and strike workers on the other side. Be aware of what is behind the surface you are nailing into.
- Wear safety glasses at all times when using or working near nail guns. Flying nail fragments, wood splinters, and ricochets are common.
Ask the crew
Is your nail gun set to sequential or contact trigger mode — and does your task require bump-fire, or can you use the safer sequential mode?
Standards this talk is built on
A toolbox talk is a short safety briefing. It supports the training a standard requires; it does not replace it.
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Sign-in sheet
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| Name | Signature | Date |
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