Amusement Park Ride / Device Safety Inspection

Amusement rides carry the public, operate continuously through the season, and fail in ways that are immediately visible. Inspection covers the structure, the mechanisms that move it, the systems that stop it, and the restraints holding people in place — each of which degrades on a different timescale.

Rides and attractions covered

• Theme park rides and attractions
• Water parks, slides and adventure pools
• Fairground and travelling rides
• Family entertainment centre equipment
• Go-kart tracks and circuits
• Zip lines and adventure courses
• Inflatable play equipment
• Soft play and playground equipment
• Observation wheels and towers
• Temporary event structures

Scope of inspection

• StructuralLoad-bearing structure, connections, foundations and supports examined for cracking, corrosion, distortion and previous repair, with NDT of critical welds and components where condition or standard requires.
• MechanicalDrive systems, bearings, shafts, gearboxes, wheels, tracks and guides, and the wear limits the manufacturer sets for each.
• Hydraulic and pneumaticCylinders, valves, hoses, accumulators and pressure relief devices, including holding capability under load and behaviour on loss of pressure.
• RestraintsPassenger restraint systems, their locking, redundancy and the behaviour of secondary retention on failure of the primary — the system with the least tolerance for degradation.
• Braking and emergency stopService and emergency braking tested for performance, including stopping from operating speed and holding on gradient.
• Electrical and control systemsControl logic, interlocks, position sensing, limit devices, and the safety-related parts of the control system.
• Backup and emergency systemsStandby power, emergency evacuation arrangements and the means of returning passengers to a safe position when the ride stops mid-cycle.
• Functional testingRide movement, clearances and envelope, interlocking, pressure relief, brake performance, speed and acceleration verified against the design values.

Before entry into service

• Design documentation and static calculation review
• Verification of manufacturing and construction against the design
• Welding procedure and welder qualification review
• Material certification and approval
• Installation verification against the manufacturer's requirements
• Review of the operation, maintenance and inspection manuals supplied with the ride
• Commissioning and acceptance testing

In service

Periodic examination at the interval set by the manufacturer, the standard or the governing authority, with additional inspection after relocation, major repair, modification, or any incident. Travelling and temporary rides are inspected after each erection, since the assembly is new each time regardless of how many times it has been done.

Standards applied

• ISO 17842 parts 1, 2 and 3 — safety of amusement rides and devices, covering design and manufacture, operation and use, and inspection
• EN 13814 — fairground and amusement park machinery and structures
• ASTM F24 series standards for amusement rides and devices, where the ride was designed or is operated to American practice
• Manufacturer's inspection, maintenance and operation manuals, which govern ride-specific limits no general standard can set
• Requirements of the authority having jurisdiction over the venue

Our position

ITMAD is an accredited inspection body and conducts amusement ride inspection in accordance with the principles of ISO/IEC 17020: inspectors work to documented procedures, findings are recorded against objective criteria drawn from the applicable standard and the manufacturer's documentation, and impartiality is maintained throughout. We do not design, manufacture, supply, operate or repair the rides we inspect.

Where a venue's governing authority requires inspection by a body holding a specific approval, tell us at enquiry stage and we will confirm what applies before any work is commissioned.

What you receive

• A report identifying the ride by manufacturer, model, serial number and location
• Findings recorded system by system, with photographic evidence
• Defects classified by severity, distinguishing what stops the ride from what must be monitored
• NDT reports where non-destructive examination was carried out
• Functional test results against the design values
• Assessment against the applicable standard and the manufacturer's requirements
• Next inspection due date and your ride register updated where we hold it