FTC Seeks To Scrap SawStop Requirements for Table Saws

The CPSC recommended SawStop technology be made mandatory for all table saws in the U.S. in 2006, yet the standards have been stalled ever since.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is recommending that the government throw out a long-stalled proposal to make flesh-sensing technology a standard requirement for table saws, even though the safety feature could prevent tens of thousands of injuries, including finger amputations every year.

According to media reports, the FTC recently advised the Trump Administration against adopting a proposed rule that would require all table saws sold in the U.S. to be equipped with SawStop technology. The agency argued that such a mandate could give SawStop, which holds the patent, an unfair monopoly in the market.

The U.S. Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that there are about 67,300 medically treated table saw blade injuries each year, with about half resulting in hospital emergency room treatments and about 4,000 amputations annually. This equates to over 180 incidents each day resulting in the need for medical care.

SawStop has been available for table saws for decades and is able to detect contact between a person and the blade, instantly stopping the blade from spinning, which eliminates the risk of amputations or severe lacerations. The technology works similar to touch-based light controls, stopping the blade immediately, such that consumers suffer no more than a small nick.

Opposition to the rule indicated all table saws would require parts from one company that has patented the technology, which could also cause an increase in price.

The CPSC first indicated SawStop technology would be beneficial to consumers in preventing fingertip amputations and other serious injuries from table saws in 2006, recommending that the technology be mandatory in a 2-1 vote. However, caught between administrations with wildly different priorities and legal maneuvering, the proposed table saw standards have been in limbo for years.

However, last Wednesday the FTC called for the rule to be scrapped, and the CPSC has announced it will withdraw the proposed rule.

The move triggered immediate criticism from consumer safety experts like the National Consumers League (NCL), which issued a press release on September 18, castigating the decision. The press release called the move a “slap in the face to tens of thousands of people maimed every year.”

“It is outrageous that the FTC would put the profits of table saw manufacturers over the safety of American workers and families.”

– NCL CEO Sally Greenberg

The group has pledged to form a coalition of victims, medical experts and lawmakers to demand that the technology be adopted nationwide.

Throughout the years, a number of table saw injury lawsuits have been filed by individuals who were injured or lost fingers to table saws, arguing that their injuries could have been prevented if the power tools employed the safety technology.

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