>>>> http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Table_Saws_and_Safety.html

>> Summary: OSHA not so dumb.

>> Challenge: Read the 3 "Which system would you rather ..." questions in
>> the text and answer them truthfully. Report back.

> I think they clearly missed the point.

The people using the saw MAY have.
OSHA didn't (IMHO,AE)

ie OSHA's mission is,  Vitaliy suggested, "to make workers safer".
I don't know what the formal wording is, but I suspect "safer" rather
than safe is a sensible word to use.
Nothing is "safe". Things can be "safe enough".
On the one hand we have pieces of "stuff" available from a wide range
of competing vendors in open market conditions.
The rule "If you have a $10 head buy a $10 helmet" almost applies BUT
OSHA set the lower safety limit. ie guards made from wet noodles don't
cut it (as the saw would).
Some minimum standard of bent steel will work.
Expensive useful super safe like the BrettGuard are available if you
want to afford them BUT they exceed OSHA's minimum standard. It would
be about impossible [tm] to but yourself with a BrettGuard in place
and used properly, and hard-enough [tm] with OSHA's minimum guard
which is no doubt much cheaper and somewhat  less effective.

WHEREAS the SawStop GUARANTEES that you will cut yourself on teh event
of an incident, it relies (very very probably) on electronics to work,
it's available from a single licenceable source, it costs much more
than an entry level OSHA acceptable piece of bent steel, and worst
case you could cut your wrist on the blade and die even when the
system is working completely properly.

The people who HAD to fit guards, and who fitted BrettGuards instead
of SawStop probably

- Made money in the deal
- Got a system which doesn't occasionally nuisance trip and cost them
$100, result in down time and/or , result in the need to carry spare
brakes and blades - in place of one which did all these things.
- Got a system which overall was safer - but which was generally
somewhat more annoying and occasionally much more annoying to use (a
no guard system is always easier than a guarded system).
- They MAY have a system which reduces job fling injuries compared to
a no guard system - and as most saw table injuries are from this
cause, they may have done better than expected.

Or not :-).

> If you want to be safe use both systems.
> The guard stops you from touching the blade (mostly), the sawstop stops you
> from getting hurt when you touch the blade anyway.
> "belt and suspenders"

Yes. If you want to afford it (see $10 helmet ...).
Note that in some cases a SawStop stop may be more dangerous or much
more dangerous. If using eg Tungsten Carbide tipped blades you may
wish to disable it. As long as you turn it back on subsequently ... .



 Russell



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