Lawyers Lead To Safer Saws On The Market

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalled 3.7 million Craftman radial arm saws for repair last November after receiving evidence of a design defect.

The saws- manufactured by Emerson Electric Company of St. Louis and sold by Sears, Roebuck & Company of Chicago- have been responsible for about 300 reported injuries, including facial injuries and hand and finger amputations, lacerations, and fractures.

Documents were submitted to the CSPC in 1999 that revealed that Sears knew that the saw was defectively designed and was aware of hundreds of amputations from blade-contact accidents as early as 1970. The documents showed that a simple safety feature- a lower blade guard that could easily be attached- would have prevented the injuries.

The documents indicated that Sears failed to notify or warn users of the dangers of the product or notify them that they could install an appropriate blade guard. The guard is now standard equipment on newer models thanks to the work of products liability attorneys all over the country.

Since the new guard has become standard, there have been no reported amputation cases regarding the Sears saw.

If you purchased a Sears radial arm saw last year, make sure that it has the new lower guard.

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