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Amusement and Theme Park Industry Dedicated to Safe Operations

Alexandria, Va. (USA) - While the amusement and theme park industry is in the business of fun, it takes all aspects of this business very seriously, especially ride safety.

Amusement and theme parks are designed to safely deliver enjoyment and fun to their guests. Therefore, operators and manufacturers work continuously to provide a safe and enjoyable visit for every guest. A quick glance at the numbers attests to their success in meeting this commitment:

• More than 300 million visitors enjoy theme parks in the United States each year
• Those same visitors safely enjoy more than 1.8 billion rides

National Safety Council/IAAPA Fixed-Site Amusement Ride Injury Survey

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) developed an annual amusement ride injury reporting system for United States 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 Injury Survey.

Data for 2005 (collected from a statistically valid sample of United States amusement parks) showed:

• 1,783 injuries occurred on amusement rides in fixed-site parks in 2005
• 132 of these injuries required overnight hospitalization for treatment.

These figures 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.

Statistics show:

• 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
• 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 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 Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) NEISS database, fixed amusement ride injury risk was approximately 10 to 100 times lower than for most common recreational and sporting activities. For instance, theme park rides were compared to roller skating, basketball, football, soccer,fishing and golf, each found to be considerably riskier than fixed-site rides. In fact, fixed amusement ride risk is closest to activities not usually associated with high injury rates, such as exercising with equipment, playing billiards and camping.

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. Approximately 80 percent of injuries occur because a rider failed to follow the rider health and safety guidelines or safe ride instructions posted at the ride.

Industry Works to Continuously Improve Already Impressive Safety Record

For nearly three decades, IAAPA members have been leaders in the development of amusement ride safety standards through their work with ASTM International.

The roughly 450 participants in the activities of the ASTM Committee F-24 on Amusement Rides and Devices help establish various standards on design and manufacture, testing, operation, maintenance, inspection, and quality assurance, which further enhance the safety and security of the industry.

The ASTM International standards are subject to frequent review and revision to keep up with new learning, experiences and technologies, and have been adopted by many governmental jurisdictions in the United States and abroad.

While all of these statistics and standards demonstrate that amusement rides are very safe, the industry is extremely concerned whenever a guest is hurt on a ride.When these rare incidents do occur, operators work 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 subject to compliance with various governmental codes and requirements
• State and/or local public officials perform a range of ride-inspection tests
• 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
• About 43 of 50 states regulate rides or have guidelines or standards in place

Because the theme park industry is dedicated to safe operations, a great deal of effort is committed to the broad distribution 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.

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