Every month I try to come up with some useful information to promote safety in the amusement industry and I'm always looking for new topics to touch on. We always seem to talk about training and documentation and things like that, they are very important topics, but I thought I would talk a little bit about Safety Signage this month.

I have a signage class that I teach at a couple of the safety seminars, and we cover everything from the manufacturer required signs on rides and the recommended signs that the insurance companies want to see posted. So, at the start of every class I always ask the room one question “who reads the signs we post?”. I get all kinds of answers and they are all good answers, but there are only two people that read the signs: Lawyers and inspectors! We must post the signs to cover our butts and to protect people from themselves sometimes.

How many of you know that there are required signs that Chance manufacturing says must be posted at the entrance to the giant Ferris wheel and the Century wheel? These signs advise riders of the potential fall hazard because the seats are not equipped with seat belts. If you own or operate or even inspect one of these rides, are you familiar with the signs and the locations that they are supposed to be in? Did you know that there is even a sign that is required to be on the drive wheel guard covers that says “Warning Rotating Machinery” “Keep Clear to Prevent Injury” if you ever see one of these operating and they don't have the signs posted let someone know that they should review the field inspection guide or the ride manual.

Now I know we can't say “thin the herd” and as I said earlier sometimes we must protect people from themselves but, I believe all these signs are a result of all the billboards on the interstate and the commercials on TV telling us to call a lawyer and get paid. When I was growing up if you did something stupid and got hurt, I was told stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about. I'm sure many of you were brought up the same way but, unfortunately, that mentality has gone away. We have created this world we are in and must play the hand we are dealt, so let's move on.

Chance Manufacturing does a great job with signage and providing reference materials to inform us of what should be where and how to reduce the potential of an injury. Many manufacturers do the same thing, and the information is out there. You just must know where to look and how to find it. We use Ridebooks.com at Worldwide Safety Group as a reference guide and consult the ride manufacturer when necessary.

We perform numerous Insurance Loss Control Surveys or Underwriting Surveys. Depending upon the company, they all call them something different, but the bottom line is we are looking for exposures that can get the client sued and the insurance company a potential loss or payout. We also try to protect the guests and employees as well by trying to fix an issue before it becomes one.

I will share a few pictures of signs for the purpose of showing what I'm talking about. Let's just go over a few more signs that must be there. Majestic Bumper Cars that are equipped with a lap bar have a required “Warning to Occupant” sign that must be on the dash of every car. Frederiksen Fun Slides Must Have Slide specific Rules signs posted, Sellner Tilt-A-Whirls and Spin rides must have the “Remain Seated at all times” sign posted in every carrier.

Wisdom Rides have the “larger person to outside” signs for the Himalaya and the Sizzler. Feet First Only on the Raiders slides, Eli Bridge has the “Remain Seated” sign on the Scrambler and the Do not rock seat on the Ferris wheel. These are all signs that we might take for granted but they must be there according to the manufacturer.

Various states have signs that advise of rider responsibility laws Some states require that the letters on these signs be a certain color and a certain size and font. If you are not familiar with a state's requirements, please investigate it before you operate in those states.
I know we probably have some Go Kart operators among the subscribers. Are you aware, every manufacturer has required signs that must be posted either in the station or pits prior to entering the karts. Some have signs that are required to be on the karts themselves, such as No Bumping or No long hair.

Game operators also must have signs if they are insured with certain companies. Some of the signs involve dart games or ball games. Anywhere there is a potential to get hurt there must be a sign telling people they can get hurt if they don't play according to the guidelines.

How about height signs? Every ride has a height restriction now, but how are you verifying the height of a rider? Do you have the red, yellow, green signs that are attached to the fence at the entrance that provide easy to see information or do you have a piece of colored tape on the entrance gate post that only the operator knows what it is for? Do you use a pvc pipe with a side tube at the exact height and every rider is verified upon entry?

Did you know some rides also have age restrictions as well as weight restrictions? These are harder to verify but they must be posted if they are called out in the operation manual of the ride. The Yo-Yo ride, for example, has a max weight of 170 lbs. per seat, and it is supposed to be posted on the safety sign but how do you look at a rider and tell if they are over the weight or not? If not, people good at knowing weights we would be operating the Fool the Guesser game instead of the Yo-Yo.

Water parks have scales that have go/no go lights to help the operators determine how many people to put in a raft tube. Other than the Bungy Jump and Rock walls I'm not sure of any other rides on a midway that have scales to verify weights. These are things that might be coming, and we need to be prepared for it, or at least start thinking about it.

Restricted area signs are another area that we can talk about. On the fairgrounds we have generators and lots of equipment behind the scenes that we want to keep secure from unauthorized people getting into and potentially hurt.
When we do insurance inspections, we always recommend that “Authorized personnel only” signs are posted at the entrances to the generators as well as the “Danger high voltage” on all distribution boxes. We also advise that signs should be posted informing guests of tripping hazards such as wires and hoses, and in some cases, uneven walking surfaces. Do you have these signs and are they posted?

So, signs are an important part of keeping our industry safe and advising our guests of the risks involved with doing things they shouldn't do while riding a ride or even walking in a park or midway. Most amusement parks and fairgrounds have signs at the entrance with all the restrictions of entering the grounds. The next time you're walking around the midway look at all the signs we you posted and if you see one that is faded or defaced let someone know to get it replaced. Remember that only two people read signs and we want to make sure that they are the riders and the parents of the riders and not the people that come in after something has happened and start picking apart what you should have done or could have done.

These are just a few things to get you thinking about safety signs. I hope that you gained one piece of information from this short article on safety and can help make our industry safer and better every day. I can be reached via email at 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!”