10:06 am, Wednesday 13 June, 2012

A worker was convicted and fined at the Wodonga Magistrates’ Court over an incident where he accidentally shot an apprentice with a nail gun, injuring his arm.

The 34-year-old worker pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one charge under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 for failing to take reasonable care for the health and safety of others at the workplace. He was ordered to pay $3000 in monthly instalments of $200.

WorkSafe investigation revealed that the worker fired a 38mm long nail into the third-year apprentice’s arm. The nail penetrated the victim’s bone and he had to undergo surgery to remove it. The victim was able to return to work on restricted duties for five weeks after the surgery.

Magistrate Ian Von Einem said the worker’s action was “silly”.

“In fact it’s almost beyond belief. It’s lucky the young man wasn’t more seriously injured. The thought of a nail gun being fired into one’s arm sends shivers down one’s spine,” said Magistrate Einem.

WorkSafe’s General Manager for Operations, Lisa Sturzenegger, said that improper use of nail guns was unacceptable in the workplace.

“Nail guns are high-risk/ high-consequence equipment which have resulted in 1190 claims reported to WorkSafe over the past 10 financial years, that’s about two each week.

“They are powerful and can help get work done more quickly, but the consequences if they are not used correctly can be extremely serious.”

She also said that a zero-tolerance approach should be implemented to workplace pranks which can cause serious injury and potential death.

“Everyone has a responsibility to ensure their workplace is as safe as practicable and employers need to set an example that inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated.

“Employers and supervisors have clear responsibilities to ensure equipment is well-maintained and that the people using them are trained and have a very clear idea of what can happen through misuse.

“Workers have very clear responsibilities to work in a safe way, not put others at risk while co-workers, particularly more experienced people, need to speak up if inappropriate behaviour is going on,” said Ms Struzenegger.

More information on preventing workplace injuries and workers compensation matters can be accessed through the WorkSafe Victoria website.

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01:40 pm, Tuesday 24 April, 2012

Photo: WorkCover NSW

WorkCover NSW issues safety alert on the safe use of nail guns to remind users to prevent their guns from inadvertently discharging while they are using them. It also aims to remind nail gun users to prevent nails from inadvertently ricocheting and hitting persons or penetrating other surfaces.

Nail guns are a high risk tool which is widely used in the NSW residential construction industry. A number of incidents involving the use of nail guns have been reported every year. WorkCover have identified the following contributing factors for incidents involving nail guns:

• When in bump fire mode, the nail gun can be inadvertently discharged due to contact with an object such as the human body. A nail is fired when the operator maintains pressure on the trigger each time the contact tip is depressed.
• Inadvertent ricochets or penetration can occur when a nail is fired into a hard surface such as a wood knot, another nail, or other hard surfaces and results in the nail being bounced or projected off in an unpredictable direction.

WorkCover recommends the following actions to ensure safe use of nail guns:

• Users should be trained and instructed in their safe use.
• Young or inexperienced workers should only use nail guns under strict supervision as statistics indicate they are the most at risk.
• Where possible, use the single shot type/mode.
• Nail gun should be maintained according to manufacturer’s specifications.
• Users should be competent to use the type of nail gun they use, whether it is a single shot or bump fire type. Competence should be verified through assessment and regular reinforcement.
• Appropriate personal protective equipment should be worn (e.g. eye and hearing protection).
• Timber surfaces should always be inspected for cracks or knots prior to their use.
• Never place finger(s) on the trigger when moving between work areas.
• Never use in awkward positions. Nail guns should not be held above the line of your shoulder.
• Never point or fire nail guns in another person’s direction.
• Take regular breaks from their use to address the ergonomic risks associated with their long term and repetitive use.
• Areas where nail guns are used should be isolated from other workers and clearly defined with physical barriers and signage.

More information on the safe use of nail guns can be obtained on the WorkCover website.

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03:43 am, Friday 5 November, 2010

WorkSafe Victoria says 11 people were injured across Melbourne because of nail gun accidents since May, including five in September alone.

Of the 11, two people were struck to the head by 5cm nails. One person pulled out a nail that was lodged near his eye.

Shaun Columbine, Ambulance Victoria paramedic team manager, said being shot with a nail gun can have adverse effects.

“One of those injured is an 18-year-old man who had the nail lodge into his head in an accident at Footscray,” he said.

“The accident has had a major impact on the man’s life.

“It’s important that people realise how dangerous nail guns can be, and how easily accidents can happen. One of those hurt was being supervised at a TAFE college.

“A 34-year-old man who was shot in the leg at Epping last month, was also injured in a similar accident in September last year.

Mr Columbine said a person involved in such an emergency, should not pull the nail out and instead call for help.

“Anyone who has a foreign object like a nail embedded into their body should leave it in place and call 000.

“Pulling the nail out can cause more damage and lead to serious bleeding,” he said.

“Leaving the nail in allows it to be safely removed in surgery.”

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07:34 am, Monday 13 September, 2010

A 41-year-old woman has survived after accidentally shooting herself in the head with a nail gun in southern Melbourne on Friday.

She was reportedly using the nail gun to build a small fruit cage in her Bentleigh backyard. The gun got caught on her jumper and shot out a five-centimetre long nail.

“A five centimetre-long nail when into her face just above her eye ball,” paramedic Lisa Austin said.

The woman was able to walk inside her house and call triple-zero. She was conscious when paramedics arrived at the scene.

“She was in considerable pain,” Ms Austin said.

“The nail went all the way in. We calmed her down and reassured her husband.”

She was transported to The Alfred hospital and is now listed in stable condition.

The nail gun accident prompted WorkSafe Victoria to call the attention of weekend handymen on the serious effects of using powerful machines without adequate safety precautions.

“Some models have extremely delicate triggers and some can go off just simply by being bumped,” WorkSafe spokesman Michael Birt said.

“Without due care they can be very dangerous.”

Mr Birt noted the woman was lucky.

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01:19 pm, Monday 16 August, 2010

A 16-year-old apprentice has been taken to the hospital after he accidentally shot a six-centimetre nail to his hand with a nail gun.

The incident took place at a Northcote building site in Melbourne’s north-east on August 2.

The nail pierced five centimetres into the young man’s hand, entering the web between the thumb and forefinger and down the length of his hand to the wrist.

According to Paramedic Bruce Sutherland, the apprentice was calmly sitting in the back of a ute when they arrived.

“He was calm and explained to us that his workmates told him to keep (the nail) there,” he said.

“We assured him that he had done the right thing and loaded him into the ambulance.

“Thankfully they didn’t try to remove the nail, which can cause more damage and serious bleeding as it is pulled out.”

According to a WorkSafe spokeswoman, an average of one nail gun accident is reported in the state every two weeks, although it is estimated that two are left unreported in that period.

The body parts that are commonly injured are the hands and legs, and the reported incidents usually took place when the gun is set to “bump-fire” mode.

“In bump-fire mode, the trigger remains depressed and each time the gun’s contact tip is depressed, a nail will fire,” the spokeswoman said.

“Incidents occur when the operator accidentally knocks the gun, causing it to fire.”

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09:33 am, Wednesday 5 May, 2010

An 18-year-old worker has been shot in the head with a nail gun in a freak accident in Melbourne yesterday.

The worker and his boss were doing construction work around 10am (AEST) when the incident took place.

According to Ambulance Victoria, the worker’s boss accidentally fired a nail gun, hitting the young man with a six-centimetre nail in the head.

Intensive care paramedic Brett Wilson said the man had numbness and tingling in his arm because of the incident.

“The man told us he was picking up off-cuts from the fence and when he stood up his boss accidentally fired the nail gun,” Mr Wilson said.

“A six-centimetre nail went into the top of the man’s head and was fully embedded.

“Thankfully they didn’t try to remove the nail, which can cause more damage and serious bleeding as it is pulled out.

“The 18-year-old man was understandably quite anxious but didn’t need any pain relief.

“I put a drip in his arm in case he needed pain relief or if his condition deteriorated and he needed to be given other medication.”

The worker was transported to the Royal Melbourne Hospital. He is listed as being in a stable condition.

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