Amusement Ride Safety in the United States
While the amusement parks and attractions industry is in the business of fun, it takes all aspects of this business very seriously, especially ride safety. The industry is both saddened and concerned whenever a guest is injured on a ride. Amusement facilities are designed to safely deliver enjoyment and fun to their guests, so it is especially difficult when a guest is injured. Thus, operators and manufacturers work continuously to provide a safe and enjoyable visit for every guest, and a quick glance at the numbers attests to their success in meeting this commitment.
Government statistics demonstrated that amusement rides constitute one of the safest forms of recreation available to the public. Though the number of annual visits to U.S. amusement facilities with fixed rides has grown to more than 300 million, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimated that of the 3,400 injuries nationwide in 2004 involving rides at these venues, only 68 resulted in overnight hospitalization for treatment. Fatalities related to fixed-site amusement rides have averaged two annually over the past 25 years, according to the CPSC. Comparatively, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that the number of deaths on America's roadways was 43,443 in 2005.
These figures were produced annually by the CPSC for years, based upon its NEISS system, which uses data from about 100 of an estimated 5,000 U.S. hospital emergency rooms. However, this system has certain geographic and informational limitations when it comes to such location-specific sources as fixed amusement rides, particularly in the area of injuries.
To gain an additional perspective on this matter, IAAPA developed an annual nationwide amusement ride injury reporting system for U.S. facilities with fixed-site rides. Each park sends their ride injury data to the National Safety Council (NSC) and the NSC develops the annual Fixed-site Amusement Ride Inury Survey.
Data for 2007 has been collected from a statistically-valid sample to of U.S. amusement parks to provide an annual injury estimate for the overall fixed amusement ride sector in the U.S. The result is an that an estimated 1309 injuries occurred on amusement rides in fixed-site parks in 2007, 35 of which required overnight hospitalization for treatment.
While these figures vary from those of the CPSC, due to the use of different data sources and methodological approaches, both sets of numbers show that the level of injuries is very low relative to the more than 300 million people who attend amusement parks with fixed-site rides in the United States each year.
Working from the higher figure from each of the two estimate sets above (i.e., 3,400 & 35) and calculating that each guest takes five rides (for a total estimate of 1.8 billion rides in the U.S. yearly), the likelihood of being injured seriously enough to require overnight hospitalization for treatment is 1 in 9 million. The chance of being fatally injured is 1 in 750 million.
In short, based on both government and independent data, the number of patrons who experienced an incident while on a ride was miniscule – essentially one one-thousandth of one percent, or 0.00001.
Outside analysis of the NSC reporting data also found that the injury risk of fixed-site amusement rides (estimated at eight per million visitors) compares very favorably with those of other common recreational and sporting activities. Using participation figures from the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) and injury estimates from the CPSC NEISS database, fixed amusement ride injury risk was determined to be 10 to 100 times lower than for most common recreational and sporting activities. The most appropriate basis for comparing risk estimates is “participant days,” which measures injury risk in terms of the number of daily visits to amusement facilities with fixed rides and the annual number of days on which participants engage in various other recreational and sporting activities.
The activities studied include roller skating (912 emergency room treated injuries per million participant days), basketball (799 per million), football (704 per million), and soccer (405 per million). Fishing (85 injuries per million participant days) and golf (53 per million) are also considerably riskier than fixed-site rides. In fact, fixed amusement ride risk is closest to activities not usually associated with high injury rates: exercising with equipment (nine injuries per million participant days), playing billiards (eight per million), and camping (five per million).
Moreover, examination of public documents and other relevant data consistently shows that only a small percentage of those mishaps that do occur are caused by factors subject to either ride operations staff or mechanical error.
For nearly three decades, IAAPA members have also been leaders in the development of exacting amusement ride safety standards through their work with ASTM International. As participants in the activities of the ASTM Committee F-24 on Amusement Rides and Devices, these companies have helped establish various standards on design and manufacture, testing, operation, maintenance, inspection, and quality assurance which further enhance the safety and security of the industry. Where applicable, biodynamic data is incorporated into the development process, thereby producing ride system guidelines which can safely accommodate the broadest segment of the population. The ASTM International standards undergo frequent review and revision to keep up with new technologies, and have been adopted by many governmental jurisdictions.
While all of these statistics and standards demonstrate that fixed amusement rides are very safe, the industry is seriously concerned whenever a guest is hurt on a ride. Besides being trained to deal professionally and efficiently with every incident, operators work tirelessly to further improve their safety procedures, for the responsibility of providing a safe environment rests first and foremost with the facilities themselves.
Through programs relating to maintenance, operations, and personnel training, facilities are actively and constantly engaged in promoting amusement ride safety. Using “Guest Relations” offices, signage, and verbal commands, parks work to enlist their visitors as partners in enjoying rides safely and correctly. Facilities divide their safety inspection programs into daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly activities. They follow detailed manufacturer guidelines for inspection and safety, and many parks use outside specialty companies to periodically re-inspect rides.
Parks are also subject to compliance with various governmental codes and requirements. State and/or local public officials perform a range of ride-inspection tests. Furthermore, facilities must pass rigorous “risk control” inspections carried out by representatives of insurance companies who work closely with a park’s own operational and maintenance professionals in developing and implementing the newest safety procedures. Ride manufacturers also conduct industry-wide safety seminars on a regular basis.
Because safety is a principal concern of the entire industry, a great deal of effort is dedicated to the broad dissemination of relevant expertise and data, and IAAPA plays a crucial role in this process. The association sponsors safety workshops where the latest advances, standards, and techniques are shared and discussed. This outreach and education program receives strong support from IAAPA’s membership and is well-attended by ride safety professionals employed throughout the industry. In addition, the association has produced a series of informative and easy-to-use safety training videotapes.
Ride safety is thus fundamental to the amusement industry. A concern for the welfare of our guests from the time they enter our gates until they leave makes it essential to provide a safe form of recreation. To maintain and improve its already-impressive safety record, the industry strives constantly to strengthen its training, maintenance, and testing programs, abides by numerous state and local licensing and inspection regulations, adopts the latest technologies and techniques, and submits itself to regular rigorous insurance examinations. This unwavering commitment to safety has allowed the U.S. amusement parks and attractions industry to thrive for more than a century, and will ensure that it continues to provide safe, quality, family entertainment for many years to come.