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Monday, April 16 2012

Table Saw Safety Legislation up for Committee Debate

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Visual media opportunities available at 11:45 a.m. on East Steps of State Capitol SACRAMENTO A legislative proposal that would require injury reducing safety technology on new table saws manufactured in California after 2015 is slated for a key policy committee hearing Tuesday morning. AB 2218, would require that all new table saws manufactured for sale in California after 2015 to be equipped with a safety device that substantially mitigates injury when human skin comes close to or in contact with the blade. AB 2218 will be heard before the Assembly Committee on Business, Professions and Consumer Protection, which meets at 9 a.m. April 17 in Room 447. (Committee hearing can also be viewed live online at www.calchannel.com) Media availability and a demonstration of the table saw safety technology will take place on the East Steps of the Capitol at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, April 17. According to U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission data, there are 67,300 medically treated blade contact injuries to consumers each year. That is about 184 injuries per day or one injury every 2 minutes during an 8 hour day. Estimates indicate that about 10 percent of these injuries happen in California. Such injuries include lacerations, fractures and amputations. Table saw injuries cost society more than $2.36 billion a year or $35,000 per injury, according to CPSC data. Its unfortunate that these injuries continue to occur even though the technology exists to prevent almost all of them, said Assemblymember Williams. This safety technology has the potential to be to table saws what seat belts are to cars. Active Injury Mitigation Systems can detect human flesh and brings the saw blade to a complete stop in fractions of a second. Its like having an airbag in your car, said Steve Sligh, owner of Sligh Cabinets in Paso Robles. You dont treat the saw any different, but its something that should be standard in manufacturing. About 20 years ago, Sligh had an employee have a major accident with a table saw that resulted in the loss of several fingers and understands the emotional and monetary loss of such an accident. After learning of the table saw safety technology at a trade show he was among the first to incorporate it in his shop. I just think it is wonderful technology, Sligh said.

John Bueti, a woodworking instructor at the Thacher School in Ojai also has a saw with this technology in his classroom and has for about the past 8 years. I can walk away from the saw and leave the students to work independently on it and can be assured that they wont be injured. I could not do this previously because of the inherent risk posed by conventional saws. This provides my students with a much richer experience and frees me up to work with other students, making my time much more efficient, Bueti said. According to the U.S. Patent Office there are 37 patents and patent applications for Active Injury Mitigation Systems owned by saw manufacturing companies. AB 2218 does not mandate a specific technology, which means that manufacturers are free to continue to develop their own mitigation systems. Website for Assemblymember Das Williams: http://assembly.ca.gov/Williams