Recently, three injury reports described the details of accidents that occurred while employees were using pneumatic nail guns.

One injury resulted in an employee shooting himself through the thigh. The nail was a Ring Shank and it embedded itself in the employee's femur (large thigh bone) which was shattered by the impact. Surgery was required to remove the nail.

Another case involved an employee who shot himself in the groin area.

In the third case, an employee injected a nail into the fleshy part of his thigh.

All three investigations revealed that the nail gun safety spring, which holds the nose guard in the extended position, was not in place. This allowed the gun to discharge when the trigger was depressed because the nose guard was easily slid back when the gun was placed against the worker. The nose guard being depressed is like cocking a gun. Pulling the trigger with the gun "cocked" will fire it.

A nail gun is not designed for rapid fire. Trying to alter the rate of fire by removing the safety spring or keeping the trigger depressed will eventually end up in a jammed gun, or worse yet, accidents like those described above.

General Safety Rules for Nail Gun Use:

1. Never use a nail gun with the nose guard safety spring missing.

2. Be sure that when you carry a nail gun out of the work area, you do not                                                                                                                                  carry it connected to the electrical or air power source.

3. When you are moving about the work area - keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire. Make sure you have only placed the nose guard against the material you are going to nail together.

4. Never rest the gun against any part of your body, or try to climb a ladder with the gun cradled against your body.

5. Remember that a nail gun is a labour and time saving tool -- but it cannot save the time lost to an accident. Use it safely!!!

1.      Where possible, gloves should be worn to protect against cuts, scratches or punctures.

2.      Wear safety boots or shoes to protect toes from falling loads.

3.      Size up the load and, if necessary, make a trial lift.

4.      Do not attempt to lift alone any load that is too heavy, too large or awkward.

5.      See that there are no obstructions in the direction you will be going.

6.      Take up position, feet hip breadth apart, one foot slightly advanced pointing in direction it is intended to move.

7.      Bend the knees, back muscles should be relaxed.

8.      Get a secure grip of the load.

9.      Lift, keeping the back straight, arms close to body, leg muscles taking the strain.

10.  Step off in direction advanced foot is pointing, load held close to body.

11.  Do not carry a load, which obscures the vision.

12.  When lifting to heights from the floor do it in two stages.

Sources of silica dust

Stones, rocks, sands and clays can contain large amounts of crystalline silica. These materials are used to make kerbs, flagstones, bricks, tiles and many other cement or concrete products.

Cutting these materials results in very fine Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) in the dust that is produced by that cutting. These particles are small and can’t always be seen.

Health risks from breathing in silica dust

1.       Silicosis:  makes breathing difficult and increases the risk of lung infections. It usually follows years of exposure but exceptionally high exposures over periods can have the same effect.

2        Lung Cancer:  heavy and prolonged exposure can be a direct cause of lung cancer.

3        Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD):  is a group of lung diseases like emphysema. Results in severe breathing difficulties and prolonged coughing. It is very disabling and is a leading cause of death.

Precautions

1        Where it is possible, the job should be planned to eliminate silica dust.

2        Water suppression is the first line of defence for disc cutters and cut off saws. Mains feed is preferred but a pressurized water bottle can be used. 0.5 litres/minute is required for effective dust suppression.

3        Some tools and plant are fitted with dust extraction and collection devices – if these are available, use them.

4        Wear a suitable dust mask. This is as well as dust suppression as above. Use either FFP3 filtering face pieces or orinasal respirators with P3 filters.

5        Ensure staff know how to use any respirators or face pieces that are provided.

6        Consider the effects that your work may be having on other people and carry out cutting in areas where other people will not be affected.

Driving requires all the care and caution possible any time of year. But winter driving has even greater challenges because of wet and icy road surfaces, longer hours of darkness and poor visibility because of snow, rain and fog.

1. Allow enough time to get to your destination. Rushing in difficult driving conditions can lead to an accident. Turn your radio on to listen to the road report and weather forecast. Leave a few minutes earlier in the morning, and allow plenty of time to get to work. Buckle up your seat belt before you start driving.

2. Stay alert. Don't drive when you are under the influence of alcohol, drugs or certain medications. Read the labels of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines to determine if they can cause drowsiness. Driving demands your full attention.

3. Stay calm. Sometimes other drivers will become frustrated with slow-moving traffic. Keep your temper and don't let other drivers aggravate you. Maintain a safe speed and drive defensively.

4. Keep a safe distance between you and other vehicles. The "two second rule" works well on dry roads and in ideal conditions, but in winter you should extend it to at least four seconds. Watch the vehicle directly ahead of you. As it passes a stationary object start counting - "one thousand and one", "one thousand and two", and so on. Your vehicle should not pass the same object until you say the word "four."

5. Keep your car well-maintained and in good working order. This includes having good tread on your tires, the engine tuned-up for winter, and all lights functioning properly. In colder climates, you may need to add anti-freeze to the radiator.

6. Clean your windows and headlights frequently. Keep your windshield washer fluid topped up. Good visibility is essential to safe driving. Clean your windows and headlights of ice or snow before starting out, and repeat frequently throughout your trip.

7. Drive appropriately for the road conditions. The posted speed limit may be too fast under winter conditions. Driving on a wet road can cause hydroplaning as a thin barrier of water builds up between your tires and the road surface, causing your vehicle to slip. If you begin to lose control of your steering, take your foot off the throttle.

 
8. Stay with your vehicle if it breaks down. Put on your emergency lights and wait for assistance.

9. Wait out bad weather. Strong icy winds in combination with snow or dust can make it impossible to see where you are driving - or walking. Under these conditions it is usually safest to stay with your vehicle and wait out the storm.

10. Plan your moves carefully. In slippery conditions, never jam on your brakes in a panic stop, you will most likely skid and lose control of the vehicle. Instead, pump your brakes gently a few times.

11. Avoid driving through deep puddles, especially at high speeds. The water can make your brakes less effective and, if deep enough, can cause serious engine damage. If you must drive through water and you are not sure about the depth, slow right down and cautiously

12. Pack an emergency kit to include at least;

·        Sleeping bags or emergency blankets for all passengers

·        Drinking water

·        Snow shovel

·        Charged mobile phone

·        Stout walking shoes

Most importantly drive carefully and considerately 

Beware of pinch points. Train yourself to recognize pinch pints and avoid placing your hands and fingers in such hazardous spots.

Expect the expected. When using wrenches and other hand tools, with which you expect resistance, anticipate that the tool might slip or the object to which pressure is being applied may suddenly give way.

Inspect tools. Check to see if they are in good condition and safe to use.

Do not work on moving equipment. If the equipment can be stopped, do so. Working on moving equipment presents a real threat to hands and fingers.

Replace machine guards following repairs that require removal of guards. The presence of machine guards is an important factor in keeping hands and fingers out of dangerous areas.

Be mindful of equipment that starts automatically. Never work on such equipment without first eliminating the possibility of automatic startup.

De-energize electrical equipment prior to working on it. Flash burns caused by electrical equipment shorting out is a threat to hands and fingers when work around such equipment is being performed.

Be mindful when closing doors. Keep hands and fingers clear. Also, watch for children’s fingers in the family car.

Avoid touching lines or equipment that is hot. Every hot line or hot piece of equipment is a potential source of painful injury to any hand or finger that comes in contact with it.

If the work being performed requires gloves, use them. Gloves offer protection from sharp objects, wood and metal splinters, acids, electrical burns, chemicals, and many other sources of injury.

Many of us know about the Incident Pyramid already, but some of the newer employees may not.

This pyramid is nothing more than a representation of the statistics about injuries. Year after year, industry after industry, injuries statistically fall into this pyramid.

Near Misses – Unsafe Acts are the bottom of the pyramid. There are thousands of these. These are things such as not wearing your seatbelt on a forklift. Not putting your machine in ESP while clearing a jam, not wearing cut resistant gloves while putting on a cutting die or changing slotter blades.

Next up are Recordable Injuries. These are injuries that require more than basic first aid. The injury may require a prescription anti-biotic, physical therapy, a few sutures and things that are above and beyond first aid treatment. For all the thousands of near misses and unsafe acts, sooner or later it will result in an injury that requires this type of treatment.

Next up are Life Changing injuries. For every 600 recordable injuries statistically, year after year, industry after industry, there will be 30 life changing injuries. That is 5%. These are injuries such as amputations, major surgeries, broken bones and the like. These types of injuries will change your life and those who depend on you.

And finally at the top there is a fatal injury. For every 30 life changing injuries, there will be one fatal injury.

So what does this mean? We need to work on the unsafe acts and the near misses at the base of the pyramid. If you can reduce or eliminate those, then you can stop the cascade effect that comes with injuries to begin with. To eliminate the recordable and life changing injuries you need to reduce the near misses and unsafe acts.

The only way to stop it is to eliminate the unsafe acts and near misses.