CALGARY – The midway company that provides rides, games and food for the Calgary Stampede says efforts are underway to ensure better safety for all attendees.
On July 16th, 2010, a green car on the Scorpion ride fell off its arm in midair, injuring 10 and sending several teenagers to hospital.
An engineer’s report placed blame on faulty repair work and lack of thorough inspections done by North American Midway Entertainment (NAME). The report, commissioned by Municipal Affairs, found multiple problems with the ride, including obvious cracks and stress fractures that would have been spotted by a visual inspection.
In response to the report, new midway safety rules were announced by the Alberta government last month.
Midway ride owners must now retain onsite inspection reports from all jurisdictions in which an amusement ride has operated for five years.
They must also complete and own an Alberta Safety Codes Officer checklist for each ride.
Once a ride deficiency is detected, owners must confirm the ride manufacturer has evaluated the information and reported findings to the owner and Safety Codes Officer.
If metal fatigue is detected on a ride, independent, non-destructive testing will be conducted on the entire ride and repairs made to any defects.
Older rides would be considered for additional comprehensive non-destructive testing.
Now, North American Midway Entertainment is adding six more testing procedures above and beyond government regulations.
NAME will complete additional comprehensive non-destructive testing to every single ride in the company’s inventory, including x-ray examinations beyond what is recommended by the ride’s manufacturer. This will be done to every new ride the company acquires as well.
Going forward, rides will undergo two separate complete inspections every year.
Any faults uncovered by inspections will be repaired and inspected by both the manufacturer and a third-party inspector before the ride is open to the public once again.
NAME will contract with an independent structural engineer when necessary to review inspection findings. The engineer and manufacturer will recommend the best approach to repair any faults.
Finally, NAME is brought on independent third-party inspectors to provide more frequent inspections of their rides throughout the 2011 fair season, which will include this year’s Calgary Stampede.
“Safe operation of the midway is of critical importance to our organization,” said Paul Rosenberg, vice-president of the Calgary Stampede.
“Our midway is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people each year, so we welcome the addition of these new procedures to NAME’s ride safety program.”
The new safety measures have been backed by the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions. The six new rules will give NAME one of the strictest inspection regimes in the continent, the company said.
This year’s Stampede runs July 8th through 17th.
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