Table saw safety

Approximately 40,000 Americans go to hospital emergency rooms every year with injuries sustained while operating table saws. About 4,000 of those injuries – or more than ten every day – are amputations.

Table saw injuries cost the United States approximately $2 billion every year.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that when hospitalization occurs, the societal cost per table saw injury exceeds $500,000 when factoring in both the loss of income and individual pain and suffering, making this an issue pertinent to consumers AND workers and their employers.

NCL has been at the forefront of efforts to implement foolproof protections against table saw injuries since 2010. Most recently, in December of 2023, NCL submitted comments to the CPSC supporting a proposed rule – which NCL worked to achieve – that would require all table saws to incorporate active injury mitigation (AIM) technology. The technology is used in SawStop saws and has proven 100% effective in preventing serious injury. AIM technology uses a sensor to retract the spinning blade of the table saw within milliseconds of skin contact, which turns life-altering injuries into minor scratches.

The CPSC projects that this rule could either prevent or mitigate an estimated 49,176 injuries treated in medical settings annually, with net cost benefits ranging from $1.28 billion to $2.32 billion per year. Industry competitors have fought this effort to make saws safe from day one, and cite increased table saw costs and the potential for an artificially created market monopoly as reasons to oppose the proposed rule. The fact remains that the benefits greatly outweigh the costs, as anyone who has lost a finger or several digits will attest.

In the latest positive development, SawStop CEO Matt Howard recently announced that his company would dedicate the 840 patent–the key patent behind the SawStop system–to the public when a new safety standard is adopted, which would allow rival companies to develop their own products, essentially eliminating concerns about a monopoly. With Biden administration leadership, the CPSC is poised to mandate this safety feature, which marks a significant step towards reducing the devastating impact that table saw accidents have on consumers and their families.

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About the National Consumers League (NCL) 

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

 Published Bulletin October 2024