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Meanwhile, over here in old Blighty, on similar rides your passage is dictated by fencing and ropes. Does this mean that Brits are not as clever as our European counterparts and need a fence to determine where you can and cannot walk?

Probably.

And if that’s the case, then that is because if you treat adults as children, they’ll act as children. HSE have created a culture where if there isn’t a fence or rope impeding your passage, then your psychological subconscious leads you to think that it is probably safe to carry on walking.

This culture is dictated by people whose job it is to look at a ride and envisage every possible situation that could cause injury or death. Wrapping everyone in cotton wool in this way breeds absolute and utter stupidity.

Look no further than the absolutely ludicrous case in America where the wife of a man killed at Paramount’s Great America took legal action against the park as there wasn’t a sign in his native tongue warning him not to climb over a six foot fence into the path of a roller coaster.

Theme park visitors and common sense are normally mutually exclusive, but never the less, if a theme park has made reasonable steps to safeguard the guest, and someone is incapable of looking after themselves, then the park should never be placed in such a position where they are accountable for mistakes resulting in injury which were the fault of the guest.

Of course, this is a general problem with Health and Safety, and the shift of onus away from the person who causes the accident onto the establishment that hasn’t made reasonable (and often unreasonable) steps to prevent this.

But this spiral of decline in common sense is further compounded by the way the amusement industry is over-regulated.

To their credit, there are many examples of Health and Safety getting it right. They have forged the creation of the Amusement Devices Inspection Procedures Scheme (ADIPS), which – while not perfect – is a reasonable response to the need to regulate and inspect rides and attractions on an annual basis.

Much like the MOT (British test of road worthiness for cars), all rides and attractions are subject to an annual test that takes into account aspects such as being safe structurally and mechanically, as well as being operated in accordance to the manufacturer’s specification.

Rides are also required to be tested pre-use. Once certified, rides are issued a tax-disk sized certificate that is to be displayed prominently. Without this, the ride cannot operate.

You can also see examples of HSE tiptoeing around the thorny issue of respecting heritage, especially in parks like Pleasure Beach Blackpool. It is probably safe to say rides like the Wild Mouse or Roller Coaster would never be able to be built nowadays, yet continue to operate at Pleasure Beach Blackpool.

This demonstrates undoubtedly the biggest issue with Health and Safety regulation at theme parks – the fact that the industry is so chronically over-regulated.

Rides like the Wild Mouse and Roller Coaster; both rides that by my own admission would never be allowed to be built in these delicate days operate with excellent safety records. Each of these rides entertain millions and millions of riders every year, and if any injury is caused it is more likely to be the fault of the rider – not the ride.

This is not due to Health and Safety – this is because theme parks have naturally evolved into one of the safest industries in the world. When was the last time you checked everything on your car was working safely? And when was the last time a roller coaster was checked for safety? This morning probably. 

And think of the last major accident involving a theme park ride – how many people were injured or killed? Compare this to the amount of people injured by buses, cars, trains and even just walking down the street, and maybe you – like me – will wonder just why Health and Safety are quite so obsessed with making one of the safest industries even safer.

Author: MS Thursday, September 01, 2005 | Post a Comment