Washington – The Consumer Product Safety Commission is requesting comment until Dec. 12 on a proposed rule that would affect safety regulations for table saws.
According to the advance notice of proposed rulemaking, published in the Oct. 11 Federal Register, CPSC is concerned that permanent riving knife and modular blade guard system requirements in the current voluntary standards may be insufficient to prevent blade contact injuries. The commission specifically has issues with the standards’ ability to “address adequately the number or severity of blade saw injuries” and their associated societal costs.
A CPSC report (.pdf file) released in March stated that between 2007 and 2008, table blade saws caused an estimated 67,300 injuries annually, costing $2.36 billion per year.
Comments on the rule can be posted on regulations.gov under docket folder “CPSC-2011-0074.”
