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November-December
2016
IMCDOL
N.C. Department of Labor
Cherie Berry, Commissioner
www.nclabor.com
1-800-625-2267
.ПМШ
Inspectors Work to Ensure Rider Safety at Fairs Across NC
By Maty Katherine Pegram
Public Information Officer
W the fair season arrives, it is always a fun but tiring time for the
N.C. Department of Labor’s ride inspectors. The Elevator and Amusement
Device Bureau works to ensure all rides are inspected before each fair that
takes place across the state. During this year’s fair season, a total of l ,996
amusement devices were inspected by the bureau during the three-month
time frame of August through October.
The N.C. State Fair, located in Raleigh, is the largest fair that is held
in the state. It is also the largest assemblage of amusement devices for
an ll -day fair in North America with about 100 rides. According to the
Department of Agriculture, this year’s fair attendance reached over l
million fairgoers — 1,028,364 to be exact. That number can be daunting to
inspectors who hold the public’s safety in their hands.
Given that each amusement device is moved from location to location,
inspectors have a short amount of time to ensure the rides meet the state’s
stringent requirements to be certified to operate.
Marc Janis with Powers Great American Midways explained how
one ride is transported, “The new Parthenon wheel is brought in on four
different trailers and has its own crane to set it up.”
As soon as an amusement device is brought onto the fairgrounds,
inspectors will perform a preliminary inspection, and then once the device is set up completely, inspectors will begin the full inspection process.
“North Carolina has the most stringent ride inspection program in the country,” Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said. “Tire rides are not allowed to
operate unless they meet 100 percent of the manufacturer’s specifications. We not only inspect the rides, but we have a presence here during the run of the
fair to make sure everything is running smoothly, that everything is being done to guarantee your safety and enjoyment.”
The Labor Department’s Communications Division offered media outlets a behind-the-scenes look at the inspection process on Tuesday. Oct. 11. This
behind-the-scenes look occurred on the Khaos, one of the N.C. State Fair’s spectacular rides. The Khaos operates atop the trailer that it travels on. This ride
uses water to balance and stabilize it during operation. The water lank has to be lull for the ride to operate, and sensors check the water levels constantly
to make sure the ride is stable.
During the behind-the-scenes look, reporters were taken underneath
the Khaos to leant how water tanks act as a counterweight for the
ride. NCDOL inspector Harold Wagner explained the types of things
he’ll examine during an amusement device inspection.
“We start our inspections at the generators, which is the power
source for these rides,” said Wagner. “Then we move to the frame,
the footings, the structure — how they’re set up; the framework, the
electrical, the lap restraints — all of the operations that ensure that
ride’s safety for our public.”
Oncea ride has passed the inspection, the inspectorposts acertificate
of operation near the entrance of the ride for the public to see. In
addition to NCDOL’ s inspection process, amusement ride companies
are required to perform daily operational checks of each ride. The
bureau also makes sure that ride operators are knowledgeable about
how to operate their rides safely.
NCDOL ride inspector Harold Wagner explains the ride inspection process for a
camera operator with WTVD-II underneath the Khaos during a behind-the-scenes
media opportunity at the N.C. State Fair.
