Update by David Kivlin, Health & Safety Executive Inspector, for FJAC Committee on 12 September 2024

Rollercoaster fatality – North East England

HSE can confirm that legal action has been instigated in this matter. Further detail will be provided at the conclusion of the legal case.

Coaster incident – employee struck by train.

In addition to the fatality in northeast England, HSE received information relating to another incident involving a roller coaster where an employee was struck on the head by the coaster as he retrieved a cap which had been lost by a member of the public on the ride. The IP was knocked unconscious and taken to hospital. HSE are investigation the matter and will report back at the next FJAC meeting.

Twist – Winter Wonderland Cardiff

Nothing to report since update in March 2024 FJAC meeting.

The investigation is ongoing and HSE will provide further feedback in due course.

Twist – Cumbria

Nothing to report since update in March 2024 FJAC meeting.

The investigation is ongoing and HSE will provide further feedback in due course.

Vertical Shot Tower ride 

Site visit completed and extensive inquiries made regarding the device including paperwork, risk assessments etc.

The investigation is ongoing and HSE will provide further feedback in due course.

Super Trooper incident – Lincolnshire

HSE media informed of an incident in Lincolnshire regarding a Super Trooper ride, which required people to be rescued.

HSE contacted the ride controller and they informed HSE that they had identified a fault with a ram, and that the ram was being sent back to the manufacturer for further investigation / repair.

ADIPS office confirmed that there were 10 Super Trooper devices in the UK, and that 5 came from the same manufacture (including the incident device).

HSE had contact with the IB who covers three of these rides in the UK, and it was confirmed that all devices have been re-inspected.

Dodgem – electrical shock and lack of suitable in-service inspection.

HSE previously reported that they had received a report of an electrical shock to a juvenile using a dodgem device.

There has also been an allegation that the device is in poor condition and has had a non-ADIPs inspection undertaken.

HSE have established that the device in question is going to be used at a fixed site for the summer season, and that the site operator is aware of the previous issues.

Site operator has confirmed that although they are only renting the device, it will go through ADIPS and all the necessary procedures/checks before they allow use of them on their site.

Dodgem – electrical shock and burns

HSE reported that they had received a report of a passenger receiving burns to their arm of after the wiper for the device “caught fire” on dodgem device.

HSE confirmed that an electrical specialist had visited site and they had not identified any issues with their electrical system.

Confirmed that they issues was just a matter of one of the wipers snapping while being operated. The operator has since increased the frequency of their checks so that any wipers that appear to be worn or in bad condition can be replaced. No enforcement taken.

Toxic Ride incident in Scotland

HSE reported that they had received a report of a member of staff suffering significant injuries to their lower limb, whilst working on a Toxic ride in Scotland.

This is the second similar incident on the same device, following an incident last year where a member of the public had several toes amputated when the platform under the main device lowered.

The investigation is ongoing and HSE will provide further feedback in due course.

Tagada ride – Norfolk

HSE received video footage of an attendant standing in the centre of the Tagada drum whilst the device was in operation, in full view of the ride controller.

HSE has previously written to the industry regarding this matter (letter 2012) and have acted in this case and enforced against the ride controller.

Crazy Frog incident – Brockwell Park

HSE reported that there had been a serious incident at Brockwell Park in London, which was the scene of another passenger ejection in 2019.

Primacy for the investigation has now been passed to HSE and work has commenced at Science Division, who are examining the ride.

HSE have drafted an information note that will be circulated shortly covering some important issues around retaining pins.

Matterhorn incident – West Scotland

The incident involved a Matterhorn type device.

It is reported that the hydraulic motor for the ride, and which powers 4 of the 20 passenger arms, failed, bringing the arms to a hard and abrupt stop.

The initial findings indicate that the cooling system for the hydraulic motor had stopped working, which meant that the oil in the motor overheated, and it lost its ability to lubricate the components sufficiently and it eventually seized up.

Initial examination of the ride has also indicated that the incident has caused some damage to the 4 “drive” arms of the device, which will need to be replaced along with the hydraulic motor, which an ADIPS IB will be overseeing including the partial design review work.

Train derailment – South-East England

Train derailment on a wooden coaster. No injuries reported but significant damage to the track and the adjoining walkways etc.

Causation still being investigate, but video footage seems to show that the metal track “strip” which is fixed to a packing timber had “curled up” before becoming snagged on the underside of the carriage as it passed over it.

Ongoing investigation but need to consider the following.

• Integrity of packing timber i.e., is it rotten.
• Integrity of the means of fixing the metal track “strip” to the packing timber underneath
• The positioning of the fixings on the metal track “strip” including replacement fixing points and whether this has affected the integrity of strip and led to splitting etc.

Consideration needs to also be given to track inspection including frequency, scope of inspection and acceptance criteria.

Big Wheel issues

HSE recently visited a site and identified significant issues with a Big Wheel.

These included the following matters.

Turnbuckles

• Each of these turnbuckles has had a section of one of the eyes cut out to allow a wire rope complete, with a thimble eye & feral crimp to be “hooked” in the cut-out slot.
• Two of the four turnbuckles have had the cut-out slot welded back into the eye.

Main Bracing

• One of the main metal braces had a pin that did not go through completely,  as it was not the pin designed for the ride.

D-Rings/D-Shackles not secured.

• There were d-rings/shackles all around the frame that did not have anything preventing them unthreading.

Miami interlock issues

HSE received a report from an ADIPS IB that during a recent inspection of a Miami device they identified an issue with the interlock for the rear door, which are provided to prevent anyone entering the counterweight area at the back of the device while in operation.

Inflatable play park issues.

HSE provided an update to the FJAC regarding an incident at an inflatable play park. HSE reported that they had been assisting a Local Authority with their investigation, including a site visit, which had identified several safety critical issues i.e., entrapment risks, containment issues.

A review of the paperwork manual and other design paperwork was not sufficient to confirm the basis of safety of the installation.

Enforcement action has been taken by the LA for this installation, but further issues are likely to be present at other sites.

HSE will be taking this matter forward and there is a possibility that further work will be planned with LAs moving into 2025/2026.

Water on walker incident/guidance

Following incident where a walker with a child inside was blown away and caused injuries, HSE is in the process of reviewing its guidance and will re-issue this in due course.

Entertainment Sheet 7 (ETIS 7) guidance

This revised ETIS7 guidance has been written, circulated for consultation and comment, and is awaiting publication. HSE to update on likely date of publication.