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Because this lawsuit is such and important case and could have an immense impact on woodworking and the availability of tools in the future , especially table saws , we’re doing what we can to present the facts and keep you updated. I’ve reached out to our Ryobi contact numerous times to get Ryobi’s reaction and see what the company’s next move might be. Today, I received this reply:
“We have been advised of the verdict in the Osario case. We are evaluating the results with our lawyers, and evaluating how to proceed. Notwithstanding the outcome of this trial and any possible appeal, we remain confident that the saw which was the subject of this lawsuit was well-designed and manufactured with all due consideration for the needs and safety of the consumer.”
While researching the case, we obtained a copy of the Petition For Performance Standards For Table Saws presented to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Inside the document, the Power Tool Institute states, “the costs associated with the proposal [installing flesh-detecting technology] could potentially eliminate some of the least expensive table saws from the market.” That’s an obvious statement, but one you may not have considered. Also, we gained access to a copy of the Journal of Trauma report referred to in The Oregonian article. In reading that report, we learned a few interesting facts, so I thought I would pass those along, too.
– These statistics were drawn from 12,051 actual cases.
– The average age of those injured in table saw accidents is 52
– Of the cases where the cause of the accident were known , which is only 7 percent of all the studied cases , 72 percent were caused from kickback (it’s my opinion that many of those cases would have been prevented with riving knives)
– Table saw injuries dropped each year from 2004 to 2007 (the last year of the study)
– 95 percent of the children injured were between the ages of 14 – 17 (high school ages), but the study found kids as young as 6 were injured.
