[Federal Register: July 9, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 131)]
[Notices]
[Page 40912]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09jy03-64]
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
Petition Requesting Performance Standards for a System To Reduce
or Prevent Injuries From Contact With the Blade of a Table Saw
(Petition No. CP 03-2)
AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Commission has received a petition (CP 03-2) requesting
that the Commission issue performance standards for a system to reduce
or prevent injuries from contact with the blade of a table saw. The
Commission solicits written comments concerning the petition.
DATES: The Office of the Secretary must receive comments on the
petition by September 8, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the petition, preferably in five copies, should
be mailed to the Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety
Commission, Washington, DC 20207, telephone (301) 504-0800, or
delivered to the Office of the Secretary, Room 501, 4330 East-West
Highway, Bethesda, Maryland 20814. Comments may also be filed by
facsimile to (301) 504-0127 or by e-mail to cpsc-os@cpsc.gov. Comments
should be captioned ``Petition CP 03-2, Petition for Performance
Standards for Table Saws.'' A copy of the petition is available for
inspection at the Commission's Public Reading Room, Room 419, 4330
East-West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland. The petition is also available
on the CPSC Web site at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.cpsc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rockelle Hammond, Office of the
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207;
telephone (301) 504-6833, e-mail rhammond@cpsc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission has received correspondence
from Messrs. Gass, Fanning, and Fulmer, et al., requesting that the
Commission issue a rule prescribing performance standards for a system
to reduce or prevent injuries from contact with the blade of a table
saw. The petitioners assert that a table saw not so equipped poses an
increased risk of severe injuries including lacerations and
amputations.
The petitioners maintain that a system to reduce or eliminate this
risk must include the following: (1) A detection system capable of
detecting contact or dangerous proximity between a person and the saw
blade when the saw blade is--(a) spinning prior to cutting, (b) cutting
natural wood with a moisture content of up to 50%, (c) cutting glued
wood with a moisture content of up to 30%, and (d) spinning down after
turning off the motor; (2) a reaction system to perform some action
upon detection of such contact or dangerous proximity, such as stopping
or retracting the blade, so that a person will be cut no deeper than
\1/8\ of an inch when contacting or approaching the blade at any point
above the table and from any direction at a rate of one foot per
second; (3) a self-diagnostic capability to verify the functionality of
key components of the detection and reaction systems; and (4) an
interlock system with the motor so that power cannot be applied to the
motor if a fault interfering with the functionality of a key component
in the detection or reaction system is detected.
The Commission is docketing the correspondence as a petition under
provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Act, 15 U.S.C. 2051-2084.
Interested parties may obtain a copy of the petition by writing or
calling the Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety
Commission, Washington, DC 20207; telephone (301) 504-0800. The
petition is available on the CPSC Web site at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.cpsc.gov. A
copy of the petition is also available for inspection from 8:30 a.m. to
5 p.m., Monday through Friday, in the Commission's Public Reading Room,
Room 419, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland.
Dated: July 2, 2003.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 03-17327 Filed 7-8-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P