Well, it's that time of year again, time to play carnival again or time to open our park and let the games begin. Some carnivals are already open in parts of the country and others are preparing for opening. Some amusement parks are already open weekends and others are finishing touches to get the gates open and the revenue coming in again.

One thing that everyone has in common is preparing to have a safe and successful season. To do so, we need to remember a few things that we sometimes overlook when preparing to get back in the full swing of operations. That is what I would like to talk about this month and before you say it, yes, I know we're going to talk about training! That is the most important part of keeping our industries' good record of safe operations at the highest level.

We all know we need to train the new employees how to perform their duties whether it be operating a kiddie ride, or maintaining a giant roller coaster at a park, all employees must be trained what to do. One thing we hopefully remember is “If you don't document it, You didn't do it” so make sure you have everything documented from operator training to annual maintenance.

An industry great and living legend, Mr. Dan Dudley, also known as “GOD” “Good Ole Dudley” used to teach us that the most dangerous thing on any midway was the operator's finger. That finger controls the ride and the pushing of the start button, if everyone is not properly seated and secured and the “Finger” pushes start, bad things can happen. So please make sure you are teaching those attached to the Fingers when to push start.

Dan also taught me, and many others, to never assume anything. For years at the opening ceremony of the annual NAARSO safety seminar Dan would tell everyone that was a first time attendee to stand up! Then he would say a few words and then ask them to sit. We all knew what was coming next. Dan would ask the new people how many of you looked to see if your chair was still there before you sat down? Almost all had not looked to make sure someone hadn't moved their chair. That little exercise has stuck with me for over 20 years as a great example of never assuming anything in our industry, or in life, and I'm sure it has had the same effect on many others over the years.

When you get ready to train your employees, find a way to communicate in a manner that the lesson will be retained and the delivery remembered for a long time. If you need a way, feel free to use Dan's way like I have in this article, and help our next generation of operators, mechanics and inspectors remember to never assume something.

Now let's talk about annual inspections, there are so many manufacturer required annual inspections out there for all kinds of rides. How do we keep up with all of them? And how do we know when a new requirement comes out?
There are many sources of information out there, the manufacturers hopefully are communicating with known owners of equipment that may be effected and the “AHJ” Authority Having Jurisdiction in the area where you operate will generally be familiar with requirements. In fact, some states may even have their own annual requirements that you need to be aware of.

Trade organizations and third party inspection companies are another option. There are numerous companies out there that do verification inspections and can help you identify what needs to be done and why. I would encourage you to ask the company that is currently performing your third party inspections or your state inspectors to let you know if there is anything new that has come out that you might not be aware of.

Make sure that if you are performing an annual inspection that you document it, I used to have to disassemble our Sizzler cars annually to perform the annual seat frame bolt torque check and I would take pictures of the fasteners with the seat inserts removed as verification that the seats were taken apart and the fasteners were verified for proper torque. Date stamped pictures will go a long way in showing that you have done what you were supposed to, and save you having to take it apart again so that the inspector can see it. Just show them the pictures, and if they still insist, maybe take one apart instead of twelve.

Annual Non-destructive Testing (NDT) is another thing that has to be documented and performed on a schedule. Some rides have semiannual, annual, & biannual requirements, while others have all kinds of different timeframes for testing. All I can say is do your research and do what is required so that if there is an incident and the documentation is requested, you have proof you have performed the required testing.

I have been writing these Safety Corner messages for a year now and have received many compliments on the information that has been shared with our readers. I would like to make a request of the readers to please reach out and let me know some topics or areas that you would like to learn more about related to safety in our industry. Every month we try and mix it up a little, but always revert to training and documentation because, in my mind, those two topics are what keep us safe and help make us all better.

Please share with me your thoughts and I will do my best to keep these safety messages informative and relative to our industry. I look forward to hearing from you either by email or phone.

I hope that you gained one piece of information from this short piece on safety and can help make our industry safer and better every day. I can be reached via email avery@worldwidesafetygroup.com or at 813-505-3938 for any questions or comments, please feel free to provide feedback to help me better communicate these safety related messages. Remember “Our World Revolves Around Safety!”