Tools and Equipment
4. Hazards resulting from the use of portable percussion tools
This section refers to nail guns that use cartridges.
Most important hazards:
- Blows and cuts to the hands or other parts of the body (may affect third parties).
- Falls.
- Eye injuries due to the projection of fragments or particles (may affect third parties).
- Noise.
- Explosions.
Principal causes:
- Inappropriate use of the tools.
- Use of faulty tools.
- Use of poor quality tools.
- Not using personal protection equipment.
- Lack of inspection of the work surroundings.
Preventive measures:
- Use quality tools in accordance with the type of work to carry out.
- Properly instruct personnel in the use of each type of tool.
- Check that the tool is in a good state of repair.
- Always choose the appropriate cartridge and nail for the material and the thickness of the support.
- Do not drive nails into irregular surfaces or nail on the slant, as this can lead to losing control of the gun when it is not equipped with an device to stop firing.
- Do not use the gun on elastic or weak materials (plasterboard, hollow partition walls, etc.) or on hard, brittle materials (tempered steel, wrought iron, marble, etc.).
- Do not nail close to the edges of an object, as fragments may come loose.
- Do not nail in closed places where the risk of explosion may exist. Check that the place is well ventilated.
- Before firing, make sure that there is no-one on the other side of the object which is to be nailed.
- To avoid falling, make sure you are well balanced before firing (above all if you are working at a height on ladders, platforms, scaffolding, etc.).
- Never dismantle the protective elements of the gun.
- When handling the gun (loading, cleaning it, etc.), the cannon must always point obliquely towards the ground.
- Loaded guns must never be left out of your hand and are to be unloaded if they are not going to be fired immediately.
- Use protective goggles and a visor over these when working with the nail gun.
- Use safety footwear when faced with the risk of blows to the feet resulting from the gun falling when being handled.
- Use ear protectors (surrounding personnel included) to dampen the high level of sound when firing.
