Mr. West,
I agree with your input on riser blocks and blade guards. In the shop safety first is a must. When I installed my riser on the Hitachi CB13F, I included the extended blade guard with it. Last thing I need is to lose part of another finger.
I also installed additional options, like the quick tensioning lever from a Grizzly saw. This sure beats twisting the tensioning knob until your hand cramps.