BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2218
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2218 (Williams)
As Amended April 25, 2012
Majority vote
BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS 8-1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Ayes:|Hayashi, Bill Berryhill, | | |
| |Allen, Butler, Eng, Hill, | | |
| |Ma, Smyth | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Hagman | | |
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY : Prohibits the sale of any new table saw on or after
January 1, 2015, unless that table saw is equipped with active
injury mitigation technology. Specifically, this bill :
1)Prohibits the sale of any new table saw on or after January 1,
2015, unless that table saw is equipped with active injury
mitigation technology.
2)Defines the following terms:
a) "Active injury mitigation technology" means technology
to detect contact with, or dangerous proximity between, a
hand or finger and the teeth of the blade above the table
top of a table saw, and to prevent the blade from cutting
the hand or finger deeper than one-eighth of an inch when
the hand or finger approaches any portion of the blade
above the table top at a speed of one foot per second from
any direction and along any path. Active injury mitigation
technology may be temporarily deactivated by a person so
that a saw can cut material which would otherwise be
detected as a person.
b) "Seller" means any person who deals in or engages in the
business of selling table saws or any other person who
sells table saws; and,
c) "Table saw" means a saw that is designed primarily for
cutting wood with a generally planar, circular blade having
AB 2218
Page 2
teeth around its periphery and having a nominal diameter of
12 inches or less, where the table saw includes a table top
for supporting a work piece, and where at least a portion
of the blade extends above the table top to cut a work
piece on the table top, as specified.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Prohibits the sale of certain products determined to be unsafe
for the public, including, specified bunk beds, infant cribs,
and toys.
2)Requires certain types of table saws to be guarded by a hood
and to contain various safety features to prevent injury.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "Table saws are used by
workers, students, and consumers alike at the workplace, school,
and home. These popular saws are powered by electric motors
spinning the blade at 4,000 RPM. Most table saw manufacturers
have not changed their technology in 50 years. Accidents occur
when one's fingers, hand, or arms come in contact with the fast
spinning blade.
"New technologies exist that would prevent almost all of these
injuries at a manufacturing cost of approximately $50 to $75 per
saw. AB 2218 mandates the end result of a performance based
standard. The bill does not mandate a specific technology. The
bill simply requires new table saws to be equipped with some
type of active injury mitigation system. Table saw
manufacturers are free to develop their own active injury
mitigation systems.
"Table saws typically cost anywhere from $200 to as much as
$3,500. This small cost is a huge savings when balanced against
the cost of medical bills and job loss resulting from a table
saw injury."
According to United States Consumer Products Safety Commission
(CPSC), there are 67,300 medically treated blade contact
injuries to consumers alone every year. These types of injuries
are generally very serious including lacerations, fractures, and
AB 2218
Page 3
avulsions. About 4,000 of these are amputations. That means
there are approximately 184 injuries per day, seven days per
week, or one table saw injury every 2.5 minutes during an eight
hour day. Assuming that California comprises 10% of those
injuries, Californians experience 6,730 table saw injuries per
year or 18 every day of the week. CPSC data shows table saw
injuries cost society more than $2.36 billion a year or $35,000
per injury.
The CPSC unanimously voted to consider whether a performance
safety standard is needed to address an unreasonable risk of
injury associated with table saws. The CPSC is currently taking
comments through March 16, 2012. Advocates of this bill
maintain that the CPSC's process is very lengthy and there is no
guarantee that a national standard will be adopted.
Analysis Prepared by : Rebecca May / B.,P. & C.P. / (916)
319-3301
FN: 0003422