Abstract
On August 20, 1999, a 16-year-old amusement-park-ride attendant (the victim) died after he was caught and dragged by an operating amusement ride. The victim and a ride operator had been assigned to work a ride known as the Tornado, which operated in a darkened enclosure. While the ride was operating a full speed, the victim attempted to board one of the passenger seats. As he jumped on the seat step, he lost his balance and fell. He was caught by the ride and dragged across the concrete floor. The ride operator observed the victim fall and immediately activated the emergency stop control and applied the emergency brake. She was able to stop the ride quickly, but not before the victim had been dragged about half-way around the ride's operating circle. Immediately after the ride came to a stop, the ride operator called the park's emergency number, reported the incident, turned on the lights, and went to the victim. Park emergency personnel arrived at the ride in less than a minute. Park patrons who had been on the ride were escorted out of the ride enclosure by coworkers who had been on the ride at the time of the incident. Park emergency personnel notified the local police, the emergency medical service (EMS), and the fire department. These agencies responded within 4 minutes. The victim was recovered by firefighters and treated by the EMS. He was removed from the enclosure and airlifted to a local emergency room. He died the next day as a result of his injuries. NIOSH investigators concluded that, in order to help prevent similar occurrences, amusement park owners and operators should: Ensure that their facilities are fully compatible with monitoring procedures for detecting and correcting unsafe work habits or conditions; develop safety policies and implement training programs that define direct links between unsafe behavior and the potential for injury; emphasize to workers the importance of reporting unsafe conditions or practices to management; and consider the use of engineering controls to reduce or eliminate worker exposure to moving machine parts.
