Citation

Lowe BD, Albers JT, Hudock SD, Krieg EF. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2016; 59(2): 164-174.

Affiliation

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ajim.22560

PMID

26725335

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This article examines serious and fatal pneumatic nail gun (PNG) injury investigations for workplace, tool design, and human factors relevant to causation and resulting OS&H authorities' responses in terms of citations and penalties.

METHODS: The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) database of Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries (F&CIS) were reviewed (1985-2012) to identify n = 258 PNG accidents.

RESULTS: 79.8% of investigations, and 100% of fatalities, occurred in the construction industry. Between 53-71% of injuries appear to have been preventable had a safer sequential trigger tool been used. Citations and monetary penalties were related to injury severity, body part injured, disabling of safety devices, and insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE).

CONCLUSIONS: Differences may exist between construction and other industries in investigators interpretations of PNG injury causation and resulting citations/penalties. Violations of PPE standards were penalized most severely, yet the preventive effect of PPE would likely have been less than that of a safer sequential trigger. Am. J. Ind. Med. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Language: en