Cpsc Addresses Table Saw Amputation Injuries

California injury attorneys and consumer safety groups have known for years that the technology exists to prevent avoidable amputation injuries resulting from the use of table saws. However, in spite of the availability of the technology, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has chosen not to act on the matter. Besides, the industry also has been content to coast along, regardless of the multiple amputations that occur from the use of table saws.

Now the Consumer Product Safety Commission is turning its attention to these deadly injuries. This week, Consumer Product Safety Commission chief Inez Tenenbaum said that it's important to improve table saw safety to ensure that workers avoid such amputation injuries. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, table saw-related injuries cost the economy about $2 billion every year.

The industry refutes those figures, but has seen hundreds of product liability lawsuits after these table saws caused serious injuries. For instance, last year, a jury awarded damages of $10 million to a man, who seriously injured his finger on a table saw. His lawyers were able to argue that the injuries would have been prevented if the saws had came equipped with a technology called Saw Stop. The technology has been developed by an inventor called Stephen Gass, and is designed to detect a human finger in the path of a blade. If the device detects a finger, then the blade will stop, preventing an injury.

Gass estimates that his device could prevent hundreds of table saw-related amputations and injuries every year. However, the industry has been slow to move on adding this technology to its power tools. Part of the problem has been the question of liability if the industry moves to install the Saw Stop technology on some power tools, and not on other saws. Besides, the industry has also found the technology to expensive and not foolproof.

These reasons don't hold water when you look at the estimates. Far too many people lose fingers and suffer devastating injuries every year from table saw-related injuries. This "flesh detection technology" could stop the blade from rotating if the device detects a human finger in its path. There are enough success stories from wood workers, who have managed to avoid serious injuries when their power tools equipped with Saw Stop stopped in time, preventing injuries. These workers only suffered tiny nicks to the fingers, avoiding amputations. In spite of these success stories, the industry has delayed adopting the technology on all table saws.

California injury lawyers know that table saw-related injuries have a specific pattern that includes amputation. The technology exists to prevent these injuries, and it is surprising that the industry would rather face California product liability lawyers and heavy jury verdicts, than equip their table saws with the tools to prevent these injuries.

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