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WorkSafe Victoria has applied safety improvement notices on carnival rides including the St Kilda Festival, Rosebud Carnival, Warrnambool Showgrounds and popular Chinese New Year event the Luna Festival in Springvale over the past 18 months.

A report in The Herald Sun advises that the Melbourne newspaper obtained WorkSafe safety improvement notices revealing 32 were applied on operators through 2016 and early 2017.

The report suggests “thrill seekers are at risk of falling out of Ferris wheels, being thrown out of rides, being electrocuted and having entire rides collapse due to inadequate support structures.”

Issues identified included split electrical cables, emergency trip features not working, no evidence of a training and maintenance schedule, trip and fall hazards on platforms, and the landing gear of a semi trailer that supported the Circus Fun House ride being unsafe placing employees at risk of injury if the trailer collapsed.

A WorkSafe Victoria spokesman quoted in the report said most rides were inspected before shows started but inspections could also happen during the event. He said inspectors also responded to complaints from the public.

He explained “while it is not possible for WorkSafe to inspect every small fete or fair, Victoria’s OHS laws apply equally to all ride operators as they do to any other Victorian workplace.

“This means every operator must ensure the safety of their employees and the public or risk being prosecuted.”

WorkSafe Victoria has apparently upped its inspections by 500 to 2000 this year. They include assessing how the ride operates, its maintenance history and staff training.

WorkSafe Victoria safety improvement notices have been applied to:

Wave swinger, St Kilda Festival
Riders at risk of tripping, slipping and fall-related injuries as deck of the ride was not secured. Operators told the ride was not to be used until repaired.

Ferris Wheel, Dandenong Agricultural Society Annual Show
Patrons risk falling out of gondola as the locking bars can be pushed out causing gate to open.

Jungle of Fun, Warrnambool Showgrounds
Risk of children falling 2.5 metres as they climb over railing while on the ride. Recommended tunnel access and exit decks be fully enclosed. Should a child then fall from or over this railing they would sustain a ‘serious injury or worse’.

Midnight Madness
Electrical cables split and emergency trip feature may not work due to damage, exposing riders and workers to the ‘harmful effects’ electrical current.

Zipper, Warrnambool Showgrounds
No evidence supplied to show a systems in place to inspect, test and maintain electrical equipment, which may lead to faulty equipment and employees suffering electric shock.

Zorb Balls
Child became ‘distressed’ while in the ball and wre not removed immediately.

Dodgem Cars
Perimeter of dodgem car platform has not been maintained with it buckled and raised and employees may trip or fall.

Cha Cha (Scrambler), Rosebud Carnival
Rider restraint system can be easily accessed and released by patron, exposing them to risk of injury being ejected while the ride is in motion.

Alpine Express
Hard word and ply wood used to hold up ride is in ‘poor condition’ with large chips out of it and splitting. Report says the packing could fail to support ride and for it to slip while in operation which could result in serious injury to person riding the ride.

Zipper, Berwick Showgrounds
A gap in the cage allows rider to reach metal support structure and riders risk broken hands, serious injury and laceration as they can come into contact with metal structure while moving at high speeds.

Free Fall, Alexandra Gardens
Restrain system may fail, resulting due to ‘unacceptable’ level of wear or changed material characteristics which could result in patron being thrown out of ride due to failure of control system.

Circus Fun House
Landing gear of semi trailer that supports the ride was unsafe and employees at risk of injury if they trailer collapsed

Dodgem Car, Berwick Agricultural Show
Employees could fall 3 metre from control box as ladder not secured, no safety rails and no safety harness in use. Employees falling from the top of control box risked serious injury or death.

Ferris Wheel, Luna New Year Festival
Fingers can be used to move lip keeping gondola gate shut and riders risked falling from 10 metre and suffering serious injury.

Tractor Merry-go-round
Riders may become entangled in the belt drive, which had no guarding. The guard may be knocked and dislodged exposing the in-running pinch points on the belt drive.

Source: WorkSafe safety improvement notices.

*The names of some rides and carnivals were not provided.

Image: Wittingslow Amusements' Cha Cha ride in operation. A child died on the ride during the Mornington Peninsulae Carnival in April. Image used for illustrative purposes.

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