Nail Gun Injuries on the Rise

How to Prevent Nail Gun Injuries

There have been 31 nail gun incidents reported so far this year (01 January – 30 April 2025), with 15 incidents in March alone. Most of these injuries involved workers shooting nails into their own or a co-worker’s hands, arms, feet, legs, or head. Many ended up in the hospital.
 
Young or inexperienced workers were involved in 39% of these injuries.
 
Nail guns are a common tool on site. They’re fast, efficient, and help get the job done. However, if not used correctly, they can cause serious injuries.

The Main Problem? ‘Bump-Fire’ Mode

Many incidents happen because the nail gun is set to ’bump-fire’ instead of ’single-shot’ mode.

• In bump-fire mode, the gun fires every time the tip hits a surface – even accidentally
• In single-shot mode, you need to press the safety tip and the trigger together for the gun to fire.

Bump-fire mode can make work faster, but the risk is higher. The risk of injury increases with factors such as climbing up and down ladders, working in awkward positions and the presence of other people within the vicinity of the work area.

Quick Tips for the Safe Use of Nails Guns

• Where possible, turn off bump-fire mode
• Don’t let young or inexperienced workers use bump-fire mode
• Use bump-fire only for specific tasks, not general framing
• Train your crew in nail gun safety – don’t assume they know
• Talk through the risks before work begins, especially with young workers
• Supervise apprentices and trainees when using nail guns
• Inspect and maintain nail guns regularly
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions – not all nail guns work the same
• Use only the recommended fasteners.

Workplaces can prevent injuries when using nail guns for construction work and our guidance explains:

• How workers can be injured when a nail gun accidentally discharges
• How to reduce or eliminate the workplace health and safety risks of nail guns
• Safe work systems to reduce or eliminate these risk
• Alternatives to using nail guns for activities they are not safe to use
• How to correctly and safety inspect and maintain equipment

Download the nail gun safety guide below.

Download guide

Before You Load Up

Want to see a nail gun used correctly? Check out our ‘Top Tip’ videos on nail gun safety.

Construction safety videos – YouTube