Nail guns and other pneumatic رونیکس are incredibly useful, efficient machines. With intense power and precise firing capabilities, a good nail gun can save countless hours of work and innumerable sore thumbs, arms, hands and backs. With that intense power, though, and their trigger actuated, high-velocity firing, these air tools can also be extremely dangerous. Accordingly, and like other power tools (or even trigger-actuated weapons), properly operating pneumatic tools requires diligently following a few safety measures. Use caution, common sense and adhere to these few rules to ensure your pneumatic tools can be as harmless as they are helpful – keep these guidelines in the forefront of your brain, and you’ll surely enjoy the safest, most productive performance from your air tools.

1. Be Familiar With the Air Tool and its Manual
Before operating an air tool, familiarize yourself with its manual (which will be rich with tips and facts) and with the tool itself. Because nail loading and other functions differ between tool makes and models, it is important to understand the ins-and-outs of the particular nailer you’re about to engage.

Some nail guns fire only once per trigger depression, some guns offer a sequential firing mechanism which allows users to fire repeatedly when the trigger is continually depressed and the nose piece is simply “bumped” (this firing method is often referred to as “bump firing”). Additionally, some air tools can switch between these two modes. Know what kind of gun you are firing and, if you have the ability to select between firing methods, always know which mode the tool is operating in.

2. Inspect the Air Tool, the Air Compressor and the Air Hose Before Each Use
Before engaging an air tool, give it a quick once over. Ensure everything looks as it should; ensure that the right fasteners are loaded and that the safety is working properly. Also check for punctures or weak spots in the air hose which may fail under pressure and cause damage to you or to the nail gun. Ensure the hose is properly secured between the tool and the compressor and, similarly, ensure the compressor is in good working order. Use only regulated compressed air and do not exceed the recommended air pressure capacity for each particular tool in use.

3. Protect Your Senses – Wear Safety Gear
Despite your speed, wit or strength, a sharpened steel projectile rocketed out of a pneumatic gun will not stop for your flesh, fingers or eyeballs. Wear safety glasses during every minute you are operating or near an operating nail gun. Because brains and other body parts are similarly vulnerable to projectiles or debris and because ears and hearing are similarly susceptible to damage from the repeated high-decibel bursts of a nail shot, always wear a hard hat and adequate hearing protection when using (or when in the vicinity of active) pneumatic tools.

4. Know When to Disengage an Air Tool
Disengage an air tool every time it is not in use. Even if you simply need to eat a sandwich or use the “powder room,” always disengage a nail gun that is not in use. Similarly, disengage an air tool before loading it, while adjusting it, while clearing jams and etc. If a nail gun jams or otherwise malfunctions, the fastener will be waiting to eject it when that problem is fixed. To avoid that nail rocketing into your leg or your coworker, disengage the tool before servicing it.

5. Know How to Disengage an Air Tool
Because an air tool becomes so pressurized during use, it is important to remain cautious while disengaging the tool. First, turn on the gun’s safety and/or turn off the tool. Disengage the compressor and disconnect the air hose. Because the depressurization of the tool may eject debris from the nail gun, do not aim the tool at anything or anyone, and do not point the gun toward yourself; debris can be ejected at staggering velocities. Please use caution.