Table saws are the most dangerous product in the shop. According to the U.S.

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), table saws are responsible for over 67,000 medically treated injuries every year at a cost to society of over $2.3 billion. To put that number in perspective, the total retail market for table saws in the U.S. is probably less that $300 million. In other words table saws impose a cost on society of almost 10 times their purchase price. The Power Tool Institute (PTI), in their opposition to making table saws safer, argues that they only know of one accident on a saw with their new-style blade guard. Unfortunately, this statement is misleading at best. The PTI has also asserted that they only know of 70 accidents happening per year on their saws. In reality the PTIs number is about 1,000(!) times less than what the CPSC actually measures using its nationwide injury surveillance system. The PTI also argues that the CPSC is considering a mandate that every saw include SawStop. This is simply not true. The CPSC would never mandate a particular system they would simply say that saws must be made safer. SawStop represents one, but not the only way to achieve that result. The industry is free to develop their own system to address the problem of table saw injuries. Only if they cant come up with their own ideas would they need to license SawStops inventions. I certainly have never said that any of SawStops patents would be infringed by any alternative design. It isnt possible to say what would and wouldnt infringe without actually seeing a design and I certainly wouldnt comment on the issue without having examined a product. Lastly, the PTI argues that we should just let people buy whatever saw they want. Putting aside any considerations of compassion or morality, if people worked in isolation and when they were injured there was no help from societyto provide medical treatment and keep them from starving, then the PTIs free choice argument might have some merit. However, as it is, we all pay when someone is injured on a table saw. The Medicare system alone, which we all pay for with tax dollars, likely spends more treating victims of table saw accidents than the combined cost of all table saws. Thats the rest of us subsidizing the cost of the PTIs dangerous products. Rest assured, if the PTI members were paying the true costs of accidents on table saws, rather than rest of us, they would have adopted a voluntary standard for safer table saws long ago. Unfortunately, there is an economic disconnect where the table saw manufacturers, who decide whether to make their products safer or not, do not pay the costs of the accidents so they dont want to spend money to eliminate those costs. In the absence of intervention by the CPSC, the PTI members will simply keep making and selling the same dangerous tools they have always made without a care for the consequences on the rest of us. I encourage you to review the more detailed documentation we have provided on the PTIs various arguments against making safer table saws. The facts speak for themselves and demonstrate that a requirement for safer table saws is long overdue.

Safe Table Saw Practices These safety practices shall be followed where a hazard exists to employees from use of a table saw. Only operators trained in the safe operation of a table saw are allowed to use the saw.

1. The operator should check the following points before operating the table saw: a. Operator must wear safety glasses b. If the material chips severely, a face shield should be used in addition to safety glasses c. Blade should be checked for tightness d. Check the hood guard and anti-kickback devices for proper operation e. Verify location of off switch and/or emergency power disconnect f. If used, check to ensure the fence is set properly and tight g. Ensure that the table is clear of materials, tools, and debris 2. All table saws must have a hood guard, splitter, and anti-kickback device installed. One or more of these devices may be removed ONLY if absolutely necessary to perform a specific cut (e.g. dado or rabbit) and only with the approval of a shop supervisor. These safety devices must be re-installed immediately after completing the cut(s). 3. The fence and miter gauge should never be used together. Use the fence for ripping and the miter gauge for cross-cutting. 4. Push sticks, feather boards, hold-downs, etc. must be used whenever an operation is performed that would require the operator's hands to pass within 6 inches of the saw blade. 5. When boards over 3 feet in any dimension are cut, a helper should be used to assist in supporting the work. 6. Blade height should be set so that the top of the teeth extend no more than 1/4 inch above the wood. 7. The operator should stand to the side of the wood while it is being fed through the saw. 8. After completing work, the saw blade should be lowered below the table. 9. A two foot perimeter around the saw should be kept clear of debris and sawdust. 10. When changing the blade or servicing the saw, the power disconnect must be locked in the "off" position. For saws with a cord and plug, the saw must be

unplugged. The saw must be tested after disconnecting power and before beginning service. 11. Wobble blades are not permitted on table saws.