Blade Guard Having a Safety Feature

A safety system is provided for a power tool having a motor-driven cutting blade， a safety mechanism operable by a controller to stop and/or move the cutting blade and a blade guard. The safety system includes an electrically active surface provided on the blade guard that is configured to change an electrical characteristic in response to contact between the body of an operator and the active surface. An active surface controller is operable to provide electrical power to the electrically active surface， to generate a signal in response to the change in the electrical characteristic， the signal indicative of an unsafe condition， and to transmit the signal to the controller for the safety mechanism.