Table Saw Accidents

Woodworking and table saw accidents slice off fingers and leave some people crippled for life. In woodworking there are two deadly pieces of equipment; chain saws and table saws. No matter how careful you are, it seems it’s a question of when, not if you will get injured. In 2000, technology was invented to eliminate most serious table saw accidents. Unfortunately, the biggest table saw manufacturers have refused to incorporate this technology and the government hasn’t yet forced them to recall their dangerous table saws.

In 2000, Dr. Gass developed an ingenious system called SawStop to prevent table saw injuries. As a woodworker, he had seen and heard about the many horrific lacerations and finger amputations caused by table saw accidents. Every year there are some 35,000 table saw injuries and more than 4000 Americans will lose a finger to a table saw. To remedy the problem, Dr. Gass developed a table saw that carries an electrical signal. When the blade comes in contact with a human finger, the signal changes because living tissue is conductive. This then activates a spring that almost instantly stops the spinning saw blade. Instead of a serious laceration or amputation, the user suffers only a small cut to the finger, if they are cut at all.

A lover of woodworking, Dr. Gass was very excited to have his technology incorporated by the biggest table saw companies. However, they rejected the importance of saw safety and claimed that the technology wouldn’t sell. Dr. Gass proved them wrong by putting SawStop into production himself. Now these safe SawStop saws are used throughout the country in school and professional woodworking shops. The technology is proven and still the larger saw companies have not licensed it nor have they developed their own safety mechanisms to prevent serious table saw accidents. In fact, the large table saw companies started to promote smaller, cheaper portable table saws that are even more dangerous and likely to cause serious accidents.

Every year table saw accidents cause:

• Severe lacerations
• Infections and complications related to the injury
• Finger amputations
• Disfigurement
• Permanent disabilities

The cost of table saw accidents isn’t only realized in the pound of flesh they extract every year from their victims. These accidents also cost businesses and people serious money. For example, in 1999 CDS had a workers’ compensation rate of .73. After two serious table saw accidents and $95,000 dollars in compensation claims, the rate doubled to 1.42. Similarly, in 2003 WMC paid $35,000 a year in workers’ compensation. After two table saw accidents, their premiums shot up to $80,000 a year. Table saw injuries can also lead to lost company and personal productivity, OSHA investigations & fines, lawsuits and low employee moral. The economic cost of these accidents is estimated to be billions of dollars each year.

In October 2011 a landmark federal first court appeals case, Osorio v. One World Technologies upheld a verdict awarding Carlos Osorio $1.5 million dollars in compensation for a severe hand injury caused by a Ryobi table saw. Ryobi’s table saw design was proven to be defective and unsafe. Ryobi’s refusal to adopt SawStop technology was used as evidence in the case.

If you or anyone you know has suffered from a table saw accident, please fill out our form. You may have a personal injury lawsuit that can help pay for all your pain, suffering and medical bills. Only through personal injury lawsuits and class action lawsuits will these companies be forced to recall these dangerous machines and end these senseless accidents.

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