Need more oversight of park rides
Gov. Sam Brownback is correct. The Legislature needs to review the state’s role in overseeing amusement park safety following the death of a 10-year-old boy last week at the Schlitterbahn water park.
As is, state and local officials have shockingly little oversight.
Kansas City Star reporting also raised questions about whether the owners of the Kansas City, Kan., park put thrills and hype ahead of safety.
Caleb Schwab, son of state Rep. Scott Schwab, R-Olathe, was killed on the Verrückt waterslide on Aug. 7. An official investigation might take months, but the accident has already raised concerns about a lack of regulations.
Contrary to what many people might assume, the federal government doesn’t regulate waterslides. And state and local officials had minimal input and oversight of the design and safety of the Verrückt – which at 168 feet is billed as the tallest waterslide in the world.
The Kansas Department of Labor, the state agency that oversees amusement park rides, never directly inspected the waterslide, relying instead on inspectors hired by Schlitterbahn. Meanwhile, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan., was focused on zoning and building codes.
The process of designing and building the waterslide was guided primarily by Schlitterbahn, the Star reported.
Though there were building inspections, they were concentrated on structural issues – such as steel reinforcements, footings and bolts – not on whether the slide would be safe to ride. Ride inspectors are primarily concerned with whether a slide is operated and maintained to a manufacturer’s specifications.
Among the design and engineering concerns now being raised include whether there were too many variables to control – such as the weight and distribution of riders, the inflation levels of the rafts, wind and water pressure – and whether anyone examined how the safety netting across the top of the slide might create its own hazard.
Some riders of the slide from the past few weeks also have said they experienced problems with the restraints coming undone and rafts going airborne.
Brownback said last week that the state’s restricted oversight role needs to be reviewed, and that he was open to tightening regulations.
“What you really want taking place is more inspections more often by competent people,” he said.
And that the safety of the design is also inspected.
People go to amusement parks for the thrills. But they also expect – and should be able to trust – that the rides will be safe.
This story was originally published August 17, 2016 at 5:06 AM with the headline "Need more oversight of park rides."