Operator fined over show ride injuries

An amusement ride operator has been convicted and fined more than $36,000 in the SA Industrial Relations Court over an incident in which two girls were injured at the 2006 Royal Adelaide Show. Industrial Magistrate Stephen Lieschke said the company did not have sufficient technical expertise to fully control the machine, but rather relied on the manufacturer: “In doing so, it disregarded its own obligations to ensure … that the ride was set up and conducted in a safe manner … (and) … breached a high level of trust its patrons place in it to take care of their safety while experiencing the offered excitement.”

Magistrate Lieschke fined the company $36,100 and recorded a conviction. He discounted the penalty by 5%, taking into account a belated guilty plea and cooperation with authorities. He also awarded $2000 compensation to one of the injured girls. SafeWork SA Acting Executive Director Bryan Russell says the case highlights the high level of workplace safety awareness needed when public wellbeing is at stake in show rides. TPA Shows had earlier pleaded guilty to a breach of section 24A(1)(a) of the Occupational Health safety and Welfare Act 1986 in that it failed to ensure its ride, known as ‘Twin Flip’, was maintained in a safe condition.

The court heard how on the opening night of the show on the first of September 2006, the ride had begun operating with four people secured in a rotating section of the machine’s seating. Before the first rotation was complete, a footrest of one of the seating modules ‘speared’ into the aluminium deck, flipping it upside down as the ride came to a sudden halt. Two teenage girls in the module involved suffered cuts, bruising and general soreness, as well as psychological distress.

As a result of its investigation, SafeWork SA found: the recommended gap between the passenger car and the deck was insufficient; the deck surface of the ride was not level; a limit switch to control the forward rotation of the car was incorrectly set; and no appropriate risk assessment was carried out. “Since this incident, the amusement ride industry has been acutely aware of the need to always give safety the highest priority, and the severe consequences of not doing so. We work closely with the industry each year to ensure that the community’s expectations are known and met, and this is reinforced by consistent national standards on show ride safety.”