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On July 11, 2006, the Commission voted to grant a petition requesting that the Commission issue a rule prescribing performance standards for a system to reduce or prevent injuries from contacting the blade of a table saw. The Commission also directed CPSC staff to prepare an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) initiating a rulemaking proceeding under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) to: (1) identify the risk of injury associated with table saw blade-contact injuries; (2) summarize regulatory alternatives; and (3) invite comments from the public. An ANPRM was published on October 11, 2011. The comment period ended on February 10, 2012. Staff participated in the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) working group to develop performance requirements for table saws, conducted performance tests on sample table saws, conducted survey work on blade guard use, and evaluated comments to the ANPRM. Staff prepared a briefing package with a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) and submitted the package to the Commission on January 17, 2017. The Commission voted to publish the NPRM, and the comment period for the NPRM closed on July 26, 2017. Public oral testimony to the Commission was heard on August 9, 2017. Staff conducted a study of table saw incidents that occurred and were reported through the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017. Staff prepared a report summarizing the 2017 study findings. On December 4, 2018, a notice of availability of the 2017 study was published in the Federal Register. Staff will submit a status briefing package on table saws to the Commission in FY 2019.

Statement of Need:

Summary of the Legal Basis:

Alternatives:

The Commission could (1) pursue table saw voluntary standard activities; (2) extend the effective dates of a possible rule; (3) exempt certain categories of table saws from the draft proposed rule; (4) limit the applicability of the performance requirements to some, but not all, tables saws; or (5) pursue an information and education campaign to inform the public of the hazards of blade contact and the benefits of the AIM technology.

Anticipated Costs and Benefits:

The expected gross benefits range from about $970 million to $2.45 billion over the product life of one year of sales. The expected costs of the draft proposed rule will range from about $168 million to about $345 million annually. Based on staff’s benefit and cost estimates, net benefits (i.e., benefits minus costs) for the market as a whole were estimated to amount to about $625 million to $2.3 billion over the product life of one year of table saw sales.

Risks: