Speed, ease of use, and ready availability have made pneumatic nail guns a common work tool in settings such as residential construction and wood-product fabrication. In 2005, approximately 28,000 (98%) of 28,600 workers injured by nail guns were men. Injured workers had a median age of 27 years.
Approximately 4% of nail-gun injuries among workers resulted in fractured bones. Injuries to upper extremities, primarily hands and fingers, accounted for 66% of all worker nail-gun injuries. Lower extremities also were injured frequently, accounting for 24% of worker injuries.
Examples of other nail-gun injuries among workers included:
Among 1,500 workers hospitalized for nail-gun injuries in 2005, wounds included:
Most persons with nail-gun injuries were not hospitalized; 26,900 (94%) workers were treated and released from emergency departments in 2005.
For more information, see:
MMWR. US Department of Health and Human Services: CDC, Atlanta: GA. Nail-Gun Injuries Treated in Emergency Departments --- United States, 2001--2005 April 13, 2007/56(14);329-332.