HSE clamps down on fairground rides

Starting on 24 April, the HSE (The Health and Safety Executive) will carry out 100 targeted inspections of fairground and theme park rides following a string of incidents throughout the UK. The campaign's strategy is to promote the safe use of fairground rides and inflatable devices and reduce the risk of catastrophic incidents. The campaign is targeted at both theme park sites and travelling fairgrounds and is set to finish by September 2023.

It wasn't long ago that we wrote about an incident at Oakwood Theme Park in Wales when a man and his teenage daughter's support bars failed on a rollercoaster resulting in the man falling 26ft to the ground. In our previous blog we highlighted a string of accidents which caused severe injury or fatality, those incidents were just a few of the horrendous accidents that have happened in the UK. Click here to read our previous blog

There are roughly 30,000 amusement park-related injuries each year and many of these accidents are due to mechanical failure or poor maintenance. Therefore, it comes as no big surprise to me that the HSE are carrying out a thorough investigation into UK attractions. Click here to read the full HSE Press Release

Regularly reviewing machinery and equipment as part of a preventative maintenance and safety regime will help spot hazards and ensure equipment is maintained in safe working order. Inspections ensure that engineers can take action before faults cause minor injury, serious harm or death.

TakeAIM is a safety inspection and maintenance APP (free on both GooglePlay and App Store) which enables companies to complete inspections of absolutely ANY equipment type. Coupled with a web platform, TakeAIM provides analysis, visibility and insights to help companies manage workplace equipment. Each inspection is automatically sent to management via wifi (inspections can be completed without wifi - once connection is re-established) with the ability to attach photos or annotations to provide additional information on faults or advisories found.

The web platform also hosts a maintenance log which allows you to easily monitor the time taken to resolve issues, keep track of who is responsible and even keep a record of replacement parts ordered. Registering an account takes a minute, plus you'll have access to the system for 7 days completely free (no credit card details required). If you find TakeAIM useful and wish to stay with us after the 7 day free trial, the good news is that TakeAIM is a pay as you go system - there's no monthly contract and credit bundles start at an amazing £6.25 for 25 inspections. Click here to view all our pricing bundles.

Our customers have used the TakeAIM for completing all manner of obscure equipment inspections (from snow mobiles to wacker plates) as a result of how easy it is to create their own checklists. At the time of writing we have not had anyone created a checklist for a rollercoaster but based on the above information, maybe it is about time some of the theme parks around the world considered adding our TakeAIM app to their management tools

Read the HSE press story