PTI Encourages Comments on CPSC Table Saw Rulemaking

PTI Encourages Comments on CPSC Table Saw RulemakingCLEVELAND, OH -- The Power Tool Institute (PTI) is calling on woodworkers and all consumers to submit comments by Dec. 12, 2011 in response to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) proposed mandatory performance standard for table saws. PTI has created PowerToolInstitute.info to facilitate the submission of comments to the CPSC.

SawStop is petitioning CPSC to impose this mandatory rule which would require a specific active flesh detection technology for all table saws. On Oct. 11, 2011, CPSC took a possible first step toward prescribing the rule by issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR).

Unfortunately for consumers, this mandatory standard would create a monopoly for SawStop, a company that holds an extensive network of over 90 U.S. patents (with more than 130 patents filed), raise the cost of current, inexpensive saws by as much as four times today's prices, and significantly increase the cost of professional saws on the market.

PTI urges consumers to submit comments to ensure that the CPSC does not create a standard that enriches a private company while passing unnecessary costs on to consumers.

PTI has created a website - PowerToolInstitute.info - for woodworkers and all consumers that explains PTI's position on the proposed mandatory standards and provides a link to submit comments on the CPSC's ANPR.

Now is the time for table saw users to make their voices heard on a proposed government-mandated rule that could impose a specific patented technology on consumers and industry, creating a monopoly and raising prices for consumers. PTI is urging CPSC not to advance the rule and instead work with the industry to offer a suite of solutions that make sense for the entire range of products.

The Power Tool Institute (PTI) is the preeminent organization for building global understanding of power tools and for maintaining high standards of safety in the industry. PTI members represent market-leading brands in the areas of portable and stationary power tools. From table saws to portable drills, from shapers to sanders, PTI members are committed to improving the industry and to being the premier resource for power tool education.

SOURCE: Power Tool Institute

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