Safety Brake to Become Mandatory for Table Saws, Preventing Tens of Thousands of Devastating Injuries

Tom Noffsinger nearly lost his thumb in a table saw accident 20 years ago. Table saw blade injuries number around 30,000 per year in the U.S.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is moving to mandate a new safety brake technology called SawStop on all new table saws. This would prevent serious injuries.

SawStop stops the spinning blade within milliseconds if it contacts skin. This turns severe injuries into just scratches.

The power tool industry has fought mandating this safety feature, saying it would raise costs. But SawStop has now offered to open its patents to allow competitors to develop their own versions.

Plastic surgeon Richard Bodor says table saws cause devastating "vaporizing" type injuries that are very hard to repair. The new rule could prevent tens of thousands of life-changing injuries each year.