Nail Guns Cause Thousands Of Injuries
By Amy E. Feldman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - If you thought guns were one of the biggest causes of injury at construction sites, you'd be sort of right.
After ladders, nail guns are the second greatest cause of injury for construction workers according to the Laborer's Health and Safety Fund of North America.
Accidents with nail guns send about 37,000 people to the emergency room each year.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the government agency responsible for setting safety standards. The government regulations on nail guns require certain safety standards in order to protect workers in the construction industry, including a requirement that workers on residential construction sites wear safety shoes to protect workers' toes from nail gun injuries.
In addition, the employers should provide, at no cost to workers using nail guns, hard hats, high impact eye protection – safety glasses - and earplugs or earmuffs to protect hearing.
If you are a construction worker who uses a nail gun - or a yahoo who thinks he can tile his own roof - check out OSHA's website at OSHA.gov to learn about ways to prevent shooting yourself in the foot - or any place else.