Nail gun injuries treated in U.S emergency departments, 2006-2011: not just a worker safety issue.
BACKGROUND
Nail guns increase productivity in residential building but with a corresponding increase in worker injuries. They are also easily accessible, at low cost, to consumers.


METHODS
Data from the occupational supplement to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS-Work) were used to calculate national estimates of work-related injuries from nail guns between 2006 and 2011. These were compared to estimates of consumer injuries obtained through online access to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) NEISS data.


RESULTS
Approximately 25,000 ED-treated work-related and consumer nail gun injuries were estimated each year. During the construction economy collapse, injuries among workers declined markedly, closely following patterns of reduced residential employment. Reduction in consumer injuries was much more modest.


CONCLUSIONS
Current nail gun injury patterns suggest marked blurring of work and home exposures. A united effort of CPSC, NIOSH, and OSHA is warranted to address these preventable injuries.
Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
Hester J
HJ
Lipscomb
Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
Ashley L
AL
Schoenfisch
D000061:Accidents, Home / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D060389:Construction Industry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003252:Construction Materials; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006801:Humans; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D014481:United States; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology
construction; consumer; emergency department; injury; nail gun; pneumatic nailer; residential building; work-related