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Coming Together for Safety
by Marion Hixon
 MIKE WITHERS HAS BEEN AT WALT DISNEY IMAGINEERING FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS and is currently vice president of the ride engineering division, which is responsible for the development and implementation of all Disney ride systems worldwide. He also is a leader of IAAPA’s safety standards harmonization efforts. He shares with FUNWORLD a few important safety issues for operators and manufacturers and provides an inside perspective on how global harmonization of ridesafety standards is evolving.
How has standards harmonization changed in the past year, and how is it moving forward?
When the IAAPA Safety and Maintenance Committee began its harmonization initiative in 2000, the focus was to develop a single world standard for amusement ride-safety. As the group began expanding its participation with countries developing new ride safety standards like Singapore, Korea, and China, the focus changed into one of education and facilitation of their internal efforts. Concurrently, ASTM International has been very proactive in establishing mutual agreements of understanding and providing the means for countries to adopt F-24 standards as the basis for their national standards. We hope these combined efforts will lead to a consistent point of view on ride safety and a set of established international requirements that will ultimately lead to a global standard.
How are countries and regions like Canada and Europe involved in standards moving forward in the next season?
Canada has taken a very proactive role in working closely with ASTM to adopt the F-24 suite of standards as the foundation to replace the current Canadian standard. We are confident we will have a new ASTM harmonization standard this fall that will use ASTM documents in combination with local requirements.
The EN (European standard) on ride safety is up for its five-year review. A voluntary group of ride-safety experts met in mid-June in Europe to determine if there are sufficient enhancements that warrant reconvening the CEN (The European Committee for Standardization) task group for revision and update. Representatives from IAAPA, ASTM, and Disney were fortunate to be invited to present proposals for closer harmonizing EN 13814 and ASTM F 2291 as part of this effort. And we were able to influence potential enhancements to both standards. Harmonization is always a two-way street—give and take to achieve best of breed.
From your experience with Disney, what specific proactive safety approaches have you taken?
Safety has and always will continue to be our single most important responsibility. Beginning with the early design phases of our attractions, Disney Imagineers work closely with their counterparts in operations, engineering, safety, and maintenance at the theme parks to ensure safety considerations are incorporated into all aspects of design and construction.
At Disney, we’re proud of our Wild about Safety Program, which educates guests about safety by encouraging them to listen to instructions when boarding attractions and uses a series of character-based trading pins, posters, and tip cards. It has led to a new level of awareness regarding safety and responsible behavior in our parks.
We’ve also embraced the ASTM F 2291 standard along with local regulations as the basis of all our global ride design and manufacturing. This has brought a common point of view and direction to our engineering groups.
What important safety issues should ride operators pay attention to?
As the operating season closes for seasonal parks, operators should maintain their vigilance until the very last ride cycle is complete. They should also continue their focus on safety for their own employees as they complete their off-season maintenance and refurbishment for the next season, making safety a year-round priority.
We work in a great industry—our product is enjoyed by millions of visitors every year, and best of all, we are encouraged to continually improve through better shows, new and exciting rides, and continuing to ensure a safe family environment. I consider it an honor to work in an industry that is dedicated to ensuring guests’ safety.
Mike Withers helps lead harmonization initiatives for the IAAPA Safety and Maintenance Committee and he is also a member of the ASTM International Board of Directors. To read Disney’s full Report on Safety, visit http://adisney.go.com/safety/Safety_Report.pdf. To learn more about the EN, visit www.IAAPA.org/Safety; ASTM can be found at www.astm.org.
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