Nail-gun injuries on the rise among homeowners
Accident rate among "weekend warriors" coincides with availability of inexpensive air tools and compressors
Job-site hazards have moved into the home, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who released a frightening study April 13, 2007 that reveals nail-gun injuries among homeowners have risen 200% since 1991.
In contrast, injuries among professionals using nail guns have remained stable since 1998.
“During the 5-year period 2001-2005, an average of approximately 37,000 patients with injuries related to nail-gun use were treated annually in emergency departments, with 40% of injuries occurring among consumers,” reports the CDC.
The CDC defined injuries as “being shot by a nail from a gun, being struck by the nail gun or the hose from a compressor, and reporting either a musculoskeletal injury or an eye injury associated with use of the nail gun.”
In 2005, approximately 96% of homeowner and 98% of workers injured by nail guns were men. Injured workers had a median age of 27, while the average homeowner age was 35.
The CDC report only counted nail-gun injuries that resulted in emergency room treatment, and believes the number is even greater among both parties nationwide.
To reduce the risk of nail-gun-related injury, the agency recommended retrofitting kits for nail guns without dual-safety triggers, a point-of-sale awareness campaign, and better instructions supplied with new nail guns.
Click here to read the entire report.
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