Funworld July 2011

Safety First

IAAPA’s 2011 Latin American Executive Education Program showcases best practices in attraction safety; seminar covered ASTM, crisis management, and more
by Jane Di Leo

As all industry insiders know, keeping attractions safe for visitors—and employees alike—is one of the most important factors to running a successful operation. On May 27, operators from around Latin America (including representatives from Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru) gathered in Mexico City for the 2011 IAAPA Latin American Executive Education Program, which featured a full-day safety seminar led by Pat Hoffman, corporate vice president of safety and risk management for Six Flags Entertainment, and Tim Lundy, owner of The Lundy Group and PLH Associates Worldwide, a safety consulting firm.

“The overall goal of the program is to promote safety and educate operators and owners from Latin America,” Hoffman said.

When looking at the overall safety situation of amusement parks in Latin America, Hoffman noted that they, along with most parks around the world, do very well. “Overall in our industry, approximately 87 percent of incidences are due to trips, slips, and falls,” he said. “The rest occur in other areas of the parks, such as in maintenance. Only 5 percent, a very small percentage of incidences, are attributed to something on an amusement ride.”

Though 5 percent is extremely low, the goal of ASTM International (which develops safety standards for amusement rides) and safety experts such as Hoffman and Lundy is to keep lowering the number of injuries that occur within amusement parks by streamlining safety standards throughout the world.

ASTM and IAAPA
To segue into the hands-on portion of the safety seminar, Hoffman and Lundy first introduced the ASTM safety standards and explained how ASTM and IAAPA work hand-in-hand to promote amusement park safety around the world. “ASTM unites standards for many industries, including oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, and amusement parks,” Hoffman told attendees. “The idea is for industry experts to form a global standard on operating, maintaining, and manufacturing rides, which will ensure a higher safety standard at our parks.”

As part of the ASTM portion of the presentation, Lundy and Hoffman noted some of the newest guidelines were created due to industry recognition of the need for change, as well as government mandates. In 2012, for example, each ride in the United States must have at least one seat that is accessible for guests with disabilities, which means modifying old rides and building accessible seats into all new rides going forward. “We want to be able to go to the governing bodies of the states and countries where amusement parks are and show them the safety guidelines that ASTM has set up so that they can adopt all or part of them, as is appropriate,” Hoffman said.

As the attendees learned of the goals of ASTM, one of the biggest concerns was the availability of the standards in Spanish and other languages. Lundy noted the guidelines are in multiple languages, including Spanish, and that the translators at ASTM work to ensure the global understanding of each guideline.

Prevention Plan
After attendees learned about ASTM and the importance of universal safety regulations, Hoffman and Lundy launched into the practical safety portion of the program, which covered topics ranging from inspection and maintenance to security and emergency procedure planning.

The first topic, inspection and maintenance, looked at understanding safety inspections, understanding the safety implications of non-action, and understanding the need for non-destructive testing of amusement park rides. “It is extremely important that each ride has a safety checklist,” Hoffman said. “The idea is for the checklist to be specific and appropriate to each park and ride. You don’t want to go download a generic list off the Internet and use that; the idea is to tailor it to your facility.” When a problem is identified, the most important thing is follow-up action, Lundy said. If you notice things are wrong but are not doing anything to correct them, it looks bad during an inspection—and even worse if an accident occurs.

In addition to keeping rides safe through inspection and maintenance, Hoffman and Lundy also addressed the operations side of the park, noting trained personnel can help eliminate accidents. “At Six Flags, we empower every employee in our facilities—from those picking up trash to maintenance— to close a ride down if something is wrong,” Hoffman said. “The more eyes and ears you have out there, the better.”

One of the concerns the audience raised was the turnover rate of personnel, especially in seasonal parks. “We sometimes have employees who are there for only weeks in a season, sometimes days, but each of those employees goes through the entire training process,” Hoffman said. Though it costs the company money to train an employee, he noted the end result in terms of safety is worth the cost.

Proper training is a topic Hoffman and Lundy emphasized throughout the day, especially when the time came to talk about emergency planning procedures for scenarios ranging from weather-related problems to terrorist attacks. “You need to first look at the area your park is in and identify anything that could go wrong,” Hoffman said. “This includes geographic weather issues (tornadoes in Texas, earthquakes in Mexico) to the [industrial] plant down the road. If there were an explosion there, what would you do? What would be your course of action?”

For emergency planning procedures to be effective, both Hoffman and Lundy noted the importance of drills with employees, especially as the average response time around the world for public authorities (fire, ambulance, police, etc.) is approximately 28 minutes. “You need to know how many people are in your park at any given time in case the authorities need to know,” Hoffman said. “You need to be able to respond to a medical emergency in minutes, especially if your park is in a remote area or in a city where it is hard for emergency services to get to you; you also need to know how to communicate with each other if the phone lines are down or power is out.”

The biggest tip the presenters had for the audience was to think before acting. “The biggest problem that occurs is people try to go out and resolve the situation or evacuate before they have a solid plan,” Hoffman said. This is when more accidents and problems can occur, especially when dealing with rides that are stuck with passengers on them.

Crisis Management
At the end of the conference, Six Flags Mexico Public Relations Director Roberto Baez treated audience members to a presentation on crisis management. “It is wonderful to have good media attention, but when you are facing a crisis, you need to be prepared,” he said. “You need to have an action plan in place for how to handle the crisis (especially when presenting information to the media); practice the plan; and trust your park, facility, and team to execute the plan and handle the situation in a professional manner.”

Although Baez noted there is no universal way to handle a crisis, having a person who can talk to the media is key. “There needs to be a person who can represent the park during these times,” he said. “They need to be an official spokesperson who can talk to the media, answer questions, and help disseminate information.” IAAPA offers association members a complimentary Crisis Communication Plan Template; to acquire this customizable document, e-mail pressoffice@IAAPA.org.

At the close of the day, it was obvious audience members had gained many takeaways to bring back to their respective attractions and countries. The seminar, which focused on all aspects of safety, gave attendees tips they could easily put into practice. “We want to help out our industry by giving members the tools and means necessary to make their parks and facilities as safe as possible,” Lundy said.

Added Hoffman: “If somebody can leave here with a handful of ideas to make their operation safer, then we have accomplished what we set out to do.”

Mexico-based freelance journalist Jane Di Leo writes for city, regional, and national magazines, including Women’s Health and Delta Sky Magazine. For more information, please contact janedileo@yahoo.com.

IAAPA Europe

Merlin’s Nick Varney to Kick Off EAS 2011 Education Program
IAAPA Europe is proud to announce Euro Attractions Show 2011 London will open this year with a keynote address from Nick Varney, CEO of Merlin Entertainments Group, at the IAAPA Europe Leadership Breakfast. This separately ticketed special event is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 27.

The remaining Education Programme begins later that day and will be organized into various tracks: marketing, human resources, safety, and waterparks. After last year’s success with the Legends Forum, EAS 2011 will offer the second edition of this panel discussion. More details, including information on special events and tours to some of Britain’s most famous attractions, are available at www.IAAPA.org/EAS.

Spring Forum
On May 17-18, Europa-Park in Rust, Germany, hosted the first IAAPA Europe Spring Forum. More than 150 participants and European IAAPA committee members gathered for two days of networking, education, and meetings. The group was welcomed by IAAPA First Vice Chairman Roland Mack, IAAPA President and CEO Chip Cleary, and IAAPA Europe Executive Director Karen Staley.

Participants enjoyed the entertainment provided by Europa-Park and participated in seminars on social media, trends in the German attractions industry, the EN and ISO standards for ride safety, and information on crisis communications. IAAPA Europe plans to repeat this event every year in other European countries.

Three New Employees Join IAAPA Headquarters Team
In the past year IAAPA’s home office in Alexandria, Virginia, welcomed three new employees.

In April, Stacey L. Mills, CMP, joined IAAPA as director of conference operations and trade shows. Mills has been in the meetings industry since 1995, organizing events and conferences for anywhere from five to 15,000 attendees. Most recently, she was senior event manager for ASTD (American Society for Training & Development), where she managed two international expositions.

In 2005 Mills achieved the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation and is working toward a Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) professional designation.

Paul Croteau joined IAAPA in January 2011 as the new manager of program marketing, responsible for the promotion of IAAPA’s programs and events including IAAPA Attractions Expo and Asian Attractions Expo. Croteau brings a wealth of marketing expertise with a background in trade association, not-for-profit, and financial service marketing.

Amy Pica joined IAAPA in December 2010 as the association’s new senior manager for membership marketing and development. Pica manages the recruitment and retention efforts for the membership department, as well as IAAPA’s constituency committees. Pica came to IAAPA with more than seven years’ experience in marketing.

Symposium on Mobile Marketing, Communication, and Technology added to IAAPA Attractions Expo 2011 Conference Program

Topics include apps, ticketing, mobile sites, and more

A half-day symposium on mobile technologies is scheduled for the end of the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2011 conference program this November in Orlando.

“Mobile Marketing, Communications, and Technology in the Attractions Industry: A Symposium of Ideas,” scheduled for Friday, Nov. 18, will explore the mobile landscape and how the attractions industry can use this technology to its best advantage.

“Today, mobile is where social media was four years ago,” says Ron McKenzie, chair of the IAAPA Marketing Committee, one of the groups developing the symposium. “Everybody is either trying to get into mobile or they’re trying to work out how to use it to drive attendance and generate revenue. The symposium will illustrate the successes parks have experienced, highlight the pitfalls to avoid, and give attendees a rich network of resources to tap into in the mobile field.”

The symposium will look at the current state of the industry: who is doing what with mobile, who the major players are, and how mobile technologies can be used at every step of the “guest life cycle” in a facility—from ticketing to estimating queue times to in-park promotions.

According to McKenzie, the symposium will move into two separate education tracks: one for beginners or those researching how to develop a mobile space, and one for more advanced users who want to explore how to exploit mobile technology to generate revenue, improve attendance, or even as an operational tool. “Parks are doing some very clever things with mobile and we plan to illustrate that,” he says.

The symposium will also feature a Mobile App Showcase, where IAAPA member facilities will be invited to demonstrate their mobile apps and explain how they were developed, at what cost, and with what success.

Mobile App Showcase: Call for Participants
If your facility has developed a mobile app and you would like to demonstrate it at the symposium, contact IAAPA for further details. E-mail: Eamon Connor at econnor@IAAPA.org. Use Header: “2011 Mobile App Showcase.”

Funworld Wins Writing Award; IAAPA Takes Marketing Prize

On June 1 Funworld won a silver Excel Award from Association Media & Publishing for Senior Editor Jeremy Schoolfield’s May 2010 article on Halloween trends.

Entitled “Scare Tactics: How far is too far when frightening people for Halloween? Is there such a thing?” the story highlighted designers of haunted attractions who walk the fine line of being edgy yet not offensive.

“This story worked because the designers were so candid with me,” Schoolfield said. “They were willing to talk about challenges they’ve faced in the past and shared great insight into their haunt philosophies.”

This is Schoolfield’s second consecutive Excel Award and third overall since joining IAAPA in 2004.

The IAAPA Membership and Marketing Department won a silver Excel Award for its campaign for IAAPA Attractions Expo 2010 in Orlando. The “It’s All Here” campaign featured brochures with vibrant colors and images representing IAAPA’s wide variety of members.

ADA for U.S. IAAPA Members: What you need to know

Rules now in effect impact new construction and alterations beginning next year
by Stephanie See

More than 20 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in the United States, the U.S. Department of Justice has published the final rules for recreation facilities. The new rules are complex, but with a combination of time, IAAPA-produced resources, and perhaps some assistance from an outside consultant, members of the attractions industry should be able to develop a plan for bringing their facilities into compliance. (Note: This article is for informative purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.)

History
The Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990. The ADA has five parts, but the majority of IAAPA members in the United States fall under Title III: Public Accommodations. Facilities operated by state or local governments are subject to Title II requirements, which have different barrier removal obligations. This article will focus on Title III facilities only. For more information on Title II, please visit www.IAAPA.org.

The first set of ADA Accessibility Guidelines (the 1991 ADAAG) was created by the U.S. Transportation and Barrier Compliance Board (otherwise known as the “Access Board”) and adopted by the Department of Justice. It became known as the 1991 Standard; however, recreational facilities were not addressed in this document.

After considering input from the recreation industry and the disabled community, the Access Board released the 2004 ADAAG to address recreational facilities such as fishing piers and platforms, sporting facilities, golf courses, miniature golf courses, pools and spas, and amusement rides. IAAPA and its members were heavily involved in the creation of these guidelines for both miniature golf courses and amusement rides.

In 2005 the Department of Justice (DOJ) began the task of codifying the 2004 ADAAG into law. Over the next three years, IAAPA submitted comments and questions in response to DOJ’s proposed rules. In 2010, on the 20th anniversary of the signing of the original ADA, the final rule for recreational facilities was released.

Effective Dates
The rule became effective March 15, 2011. By now, your business should be in compliance with the ADA’s general nondiscrimination requirements, in - cluding provisions related to service animals and mobility devices.

On March 15, 2012, compliance with the 2010 Standard will be required for new construction and alterations and barrier removal. If building or altering a facility before March 15, 2012, owners may choose between the 1991 Standard (where applicable) and the 2010 Standard. Covered entities that should have complied with the 1991 Standard during any new construction or alteration of facilities or elements, but have not done so by March 15, 2012, must comply with the 2010 Standard.

General Nondiscrimination Requirements
Service Animals

Under the new rule, only dogs that are trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability are considered service animals. A business may ask an individual if his animal is a service animal and what task it performs but cannot ask questions about the nature of the individual’s disability. In some cases, miniature horses are permitted as service animals. Regardless of the type of animal, if it is out of control and the handler can-not or does not regain control, or if it is not housebroken, the guest can be asked to remove the animal from the property. The individual, however, must be allowed to enter the business without the service animal. “Comfort,” “therapy,” or “emotional support” animals do not meet the definition of a service animal.

Mobility devices
The new rule takes a two-tiered approach to mobility devices. Wheelchairs must be permitted at all times and in all areas where pedestrians are allowed to travel. “Other power-driven mobility devices,” such as Segway, must be permitted, unless the facility can demonstrate that such use would fundamentally alter its programs, services, or activities; create a direct threat; or create a safety hazard. The rule lists factors to consider in making this determination.

Barrier Removal
The Department of Justice has established the following priorities for barrier removal:

• Providing access to your business from sidewalks, parking areas, and public transportation.
• Providing access to the goods and services your business offers.
• Providing access to public restrooms.
• Removing barriers to other amenities offered to the public, such as drinking fountains.

Under the new rule, facilities are required to undergo barrier removal activities to the extent “readily achievable,” meaning “easily accomplishable without much difficulty or expense.” There is no good measure for what is considered to be readily achievable; it will vary from facility to facility and perhaps even year to year. Due to the ambiguities surrounding barrier removal, IAAPA strongly suggests facility owners survey, for example, the accessibility of their mini-golf courses and develop response plans to remove barriers. The response plan might take several years to complete, but having a plan in place will help owners if their compliance with the ADA is challenged.

Until March 15, 2012, barrier removal can be done in compliance with the 1991 or the 2010 Standards. On or after March 15, 2012, barrier removal should conform to the 2010 Standard.

Safe Harbor
The 2010 rule provides a “Safe Harbor” for facilities that are in compliance with the 1991 requirements, but this does not apply to miniature golf courses and amusement rides, as these attractions were not included in the original Standard. However, the operational facilities surrounding and accompanying those attractions—restrooms, concession stands, sidewalks, etc.—are eligible for safe harbor as long as they are already in compliance with the 1991 Standard. All facilities are still obligated to complete barrier removal to the extent readily achievable.

2010 Design Standards
The 2010 Standard is the Department of Justice-adopted version of the 2004 ADAAG, so the requirements should be familiar to IAAPA members. The Standard applies to new construction (after March 15, 2012). When an element undergoes major modification, that element must be brought into compliance with the 2010 Standard. Below are summaries of the Standards for various elements found in the attractions industry. To provide members with in-depth information on the 2010 Standard, IAAPA is publishing a series of white papers for miniature golf courses, amusement rides, and waterpark attractions that will be available on the IAAPA website, www.IAAPA.org.

Amusement Rides
Under the 2010 Standard, many newly designed or newly constructed amusement rides must be accessible and located on an accessible route to the ride. Ride designers, owners, or operators do have some flexibility in providing accessibility to a ride. Accessibility can be achieved through a transfer seat or device, or through direct wheelchair roll-on. The type of accessibility provided may vary from ride to ride or facility to facility, but it must be specified on signage at the entrance to the queue, so guests can decide for themselves if they are comfortable with the type of transfer provided.

There are several types of rides not required to provide wheelchair spaces, transfer seats, or transfer systems and that do not need to meet signage requirements. Those rides include those designed primarily for children, those controlled or operated by the rider (e.g., bumper cars), and those without seats. That said, these rides must be on an accessible route and must provide appropriate clear space.

Portable or mobile rides are not included in the 2010 Standard.

Miniature Golf Courses
The 2010 Standard considers a miniature golf course accessible if 50 percent of the holes are accessible and on an accessible route. In addition, the first and last holes must be accessible with one break allowed, and all accessible holes must be on a route that does not send the guest “backtracking” through the course.

After March 15, 2012, new miniature golf courses must be built to the 2010 Standard. As alterations are completed, the altered hole or element must be brought into compliance with the 2010 Standard, and 20 percent of an alteration budget must be set aside to make the path of travel to the altered element accessible. If a facility already meets the 2010 Standard for miniature golf courses, it is not required to make additional holes accessible as they undergo alteration.

When it is readily achievable, the removal of architectural barriers is required on existing miniature golf courses. Since there is no easy measure of what is “readily achievable,” IAAPA urges miniature golf course owners to survey the accessibility of their courses and develop a response plan to remove barriers. The response plan might take several years to complete, but having a plan in place will help owners if their compliance with the ADA is challenged.

Waterparks
Accessible means of entry and exit are required for swimming pools, depending on their size. Such accessible means of entry can include a pool lift or sloped entry, and either a transfer wall, transfer system, or pool stairs. Larger pools must have more than one type of accessible means of entry.

Wave pools, lazy rivers, and sandbottom pools where user access is limited to one area are not required to provide more than one accessible means of entry, either a pool lift, a sloped entry, or a transfer system.

Waterslides are excluded from the 2010 Standard; however, the base of the stair tower and the catch pool must be on an accessible route.

Interactive water attractions are subject to the same standards as land-based play structures.

Play Areas (including interactive water attractions)
The 2010 Standard differentiates between children’s play areas and family play areas.

Children’s play areas are defined as elements specifically designed for use primarily by individuals 12 and younger. Children’s play areas are subject to Section 240 of the 2010 Standard, so there must be accessible ground and elevated play components, accessible routes, ramps, and transfer systems (typically a platform or transfer step), and accessible ground surfaces.

Ground surfaces must comply with ASTM F1487 and ASTM 1951 impact attenuation material, which means concrete surfaces are not allowed. In some jurisdictions, regulations may require this equipment to comply with ASTM F 1487 Play Equipment Standard and will fall under CPSC jurisdiction for accident reporting.

Family play areas are elements that do not meet the definition of a children’s play area. They are treated as amusement attractions and are not required to comply with Section 240 of the 201 Standard. However, appropriate technical provisions apply where applicable for elements such as entrances, stairs, handrails, protruding objects, reach ranges, and operable controls. If a family play area has unique features for which no scoping provisions exist, then at least one feature must be on an accessible route; however, a “reasonable number” of features is recommended in the rule, meaning a minimum of one of each type.

If either type of play area is on a wet deck, entry points to both the structure and the wet deck must be on an accessible route. If in a wading pool, a sloped entry is required to the pool, but handrails are not required on the sloped entry. Since personal wheelchairs and mobility devices may not be appropriate for submerging in water, the rule suggests providing aquatic wheelchairs to guests.

Other Elements
Changes in the 2010 Standard apply to other elements as well, such as parking lots, entries, transaction counters, and toilet facilities. However, since these elements were covered in the 1991 Standard, if they were built correctly they are eligible for safe harbor.

Enforcement and Penalties
The new rule can be enforced through both Department of Justice enforcement lawsuits and civil lawsuits. DOJ can require facilities be made readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities; modify policy, practice, or procedure; assess civil penalties up to $50,000 for first violation and $100,000 for subsequent violations; and award other relief including monetary damages to persons aggrieved. Consent and settlement with the Department of Justice do not prohibit private suits by individuals or disability groups. Private persons can sue for actual damages and punitive damages.

Looking Forward
Now that the 2010 Standard is in place, Department of Justice is going back to look at other areas where accessibility could be improved. In early 2011, IAAPA filed comment on a proposed rule on accessible websites, captioning, and self-service equipment such as ticket kiosks or food-ordering stations. While it is difficult to predict how quickly a proposal will move through the regulatory process, it is possible to see a final rule in late 2011 or in 2012. If an attraction is in the process of developing new products in these areas, it should work with the manufacturer to ensure accessibility for all.

Contact Manager of Government Relations and Safety Services Stephanie See at ssee@IAAPA.org.

More Resources
www.IAAPA.org/government/ada.asp
www.doj.gov
www.access-board.gov