ABC 17 News Investigates: Amusement Park Ride Safety

It’s the time of year when you may be heading to an amusement park, but how do you know if the rides are safe?

In Missouri, legislation regulating amusement park rides was first enacted in 1997. The Division of Fire Safety’s Amusement Ride Safety program is responsible for enforcing regulations. Missouri law requires both annual inspections by a state-qualified ride inspector, as well as spot inspections by the Division of Fire Safety.

Regardless of whether a ride is permanent or traveling, a ride operator must have a permit for the ride to operate in our state. A permit is obtained by passing an annual inspection and is good for one year. The permit must be placed on the ride’s control panel.

At the Boone County Fair, all rides were permitted, but there were minor issues found during spot inspections. Those were quickly fixed, likely while the inspector was still on site. The rides then received a “good to go” from an inspector with the Division of Fire Safety.

Here are some safety suggestions from the Division of Fire Safety:

Always look to make sure the ride has a permit. Always obey minimum height, weight and age restrictions. Riders should know that ride operators are required to stay near the controller when a ride is in operation and should be paying attention at all times.

Anyone who notices a safety issue should notify the ride operator or call the DFS Amusement Ride Safety Unit at 573-751-5299 to report it.