A case of alarmism and hysteria? Or a case of big government paternalism?
How much more expensive will table saws become after extra government regulation?
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Anyone has the freedom to go out an buy a more safe table saw. This does not require government mandates etc.! Perhaps more public education about safe tools and safe tool use would suffice.
"... "I was a little tired. I should've quit," [a victim] says. "I ran my hand right into the blade and nearly cut my thumb off." ..."
"Table saws are considered “far and away” the most dangerous power tool Americans buy, leading to:
- ~30,000 blade-contact injuries that require medical treatment each year.
- 4,000 amputations.
- Injuries that can lead to a societal cost of $500,000+ per injury (including ongoing medical care and lost work time).
Despite these harms, efforts to mandate the installation of a safety brake on all such saws have come up against federal roadblocks for years.
But that may be about to change: The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission is now seeking to mandate a safety brake on all new table saws sold in the U.S., with approval set for later this year. ... "
"... a demonstration of a new and much safer type of table saw at a local woodworking store. Marketed under the name SawStop, it was designed to stop and retract the spinning blade within a few milliseconds of making contact with flesh — fast enough to turn a potentially life-changing injury into little more than a scratch. ..."
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