Nail Gun Trigger Safety and Ricochet

Why it matters

Nail guns put tens of thousands of framers and roofers in emergency rooms every year, and the single biggest factor is the trigger setting. Bump-fire triggers shoot every time the nose touches anything while the trigger is held, which is how guns nail hands, legs, and coworkers. Sequential triggers require a deliberate sequence for every nail. Today: triggers, ricochets, and keeping your free hand out of the line of fire.

Hazards

• ⚠ Double fires and accidental discharge with bump triggers
• ⚠ Nails ricocheting off knots, metal connectors, and existing nails
• ⚠ Blow-through: nails exiting the far side of lumber into a hand
• ⚠ Nailing toward yourself or a coworker on the other side
• ⚠ Carrying the gun with the trigger held and nose ready
• ⚠ Hose-connected guns fired while being handed around or unjammed

Controls and safe practices

• ✓ Use full sequential triggers wherever the work allows; it is the setting that prevents the most injuries.
• ✓ Keep the free hand at least 12 inches from the nailing point, never behind the workpiece.
• ✓ Watch for knots, straps, and hangers; angle away so a ricochet misses you.
• ✓ Never point the nose at anyone, and know who is on the blind side of what you are nailing.
• ✓ Disconnect the air before clearing jams, adjusting, or passing the gun.
• ✓ Carry by the handle, finger off the trigger, hose managed so it does not snag.
• ✓ Safety glasses always; nail gun eye injuries are routine and preventable.

Crew discussion questions

1. What trigger type is on each of our guns right now? Check today.
2. Which tasks this week put a hand close to the nailing point?
3. Who is usually on the other side of what we nail?
4. How do we hand a gun up to the roof or scaffold?

Applicable OSHA standards

29 CFR 1926.302

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