Returning an Amusement Ride or Amusement Device Back to Service Following an Incident

General Details

This directive provides direction to owners and operators of amusement rides and devices regarding their responsibilities under section 20 of the Elevating Devices Safety Regulation (EDSR).

Intent

Section 20 of the EDSR states as follows: “Unless otherwise specified by a provincial safety manager, an elevating device that has been involved in an incident must be shut down immediately and must not be repaired or returned to service without the permission of a safety officer”. Pursuant to section 20 of the EDSR, the provincial safety manager has established a set of specified criteria for circumstances in which permission of a safety officer is not required to return a ride or device to service following an incident. If the criteria in part 1 and 2 of this directive are met following an incident, a ride or device may be returned to service without requiring safety officer’s permission.

Note 1: See Appendix A for definition of “Incident.”

Note 2: See appendix B for description of injury and damage ratings.

Note 3: Please refer to the information bulletin IB-AM 2017-01 for more information regarding incident reporting guidelines.

Part 1. Returning an Amusement Device or Amusement Ride to Service

Subject to compliance with all applicable incident reporting requirements and for the purposes of the application of section 20 of the EDSR, a ride or device may be returned to service without the requirement to obtain safety officer’s permission if the following conditions have been met:

1. The ride or device that has been involved in the incident has been inspected by the licensed contractor or licensed contractors' representative and the safety of the ride or device has been restored.
2. The severity of the injury is rated moderate or less.
3. The severity of the damage is rated minor or less.
4. The person(s) conducting the inspection can confirm that the incident did not occur due to a malfunction or failure of a ride or device safety feature.
5. The incident was not a result of operator or attendant error.
6. The directive requirements (items 1 through 5) have been confirmed and the return to service declaration will be made via the on-line incident reporting form within 24 hrs. (See appendix D).

Notes:

• The provisions in this section are intended to allow amusement ride and device operators to restore a ride or device to service in relatively short order. The safety manager or safety officer may require that the ride or device be removed from service if the conditions above are found not to have been met, or if the onsite inspection completed by the owner is determined to have been incomplete or insufficient.
• If there are circumstances where the rating of injury or damage is unclear, the ride or device must be removed from service and a safety officer or safety manager should be contacted for additional guidance/permission before returning the ride or device to service.

The safety manager or a safety officer may conduct an investigation in accordance with section 37 of the Safety Standards Act. 

Part 2. Incident reporting and restoring ride or device to operation.

1. All Incidents and hazards involving amusement rides and amusement devices are to be reported to Technical Safety BC using our online reporting form. Alternatively, visit our website and navigate to the reporting form using “I Want to” under the menu.
   
   Note: voicemails, emails, or text messages made to Technical Safety BC employees concerning incidents and hazards are not considered incident reports.
2. If there are circumstances where the rating of injury or damage is unclear, the ride or device must be removed from service and a safety officer or safety manager should be contacted for additional guidance/permission before returning the ride or device to service.
3. A summary of reporting requirements and amusement ride or device operation conditions following an incident can be found in Appendix C.

Nav Chahal,
Provincial Safety Manager – Transportation

References:

Safety Standards Act
Elevating Devices Safety Regulation
Appendices A-D

APPENDIX

A)   Definitions

Incident: means an event occurring as a result of regulated work, or the testing, use, or operation of a regulated product, that

(a) causes death, personal injury, or damage to property; or

(b) creates a risk of personal injury or damage to property.

B)   Injury and Damage Ratings

The injury and damage ratings listed below are to be used as a guideline when determining if a ride or device may be returned to service following an incident. If there are circumstances where the rating remains unclear, the ride or device must be removed from service and a safety officer or safety manager should be contacted for additional guidance/permission before returning the ride or device to service.     

Moderate injury\illness: are those that, while serious, are considered unlikely have a significant effect to long-term quality of life.

As it pertains to amusement rides and devices: A personal injury\illness that requires medical treatment from a first aid provider or a medical professional for the treatment of such things as; single limb fractures, concussions, disorientation. scrapes, shallow cuts, sprains and strains, bruises, or mild concussions.

Major / Fatal injuries/illnesses:  Residual effects are likely to significantly affect long-term quality of life:

As it pertains to amusement rides and devices:  A personal injury/illness that results in fatality, dismemberment, significant disfigurement, permanent loss of the use of a body organ, member, function, or system, a compound fracture, or other significant injury\illness. These types of injuries\illnesses usually require immediate medical attention and subsequent hospitalization.

Minor Damage:

As it pertains to amusement rides and devices:  Any damage that does not affect the operation of the ride or device and is not likely to result in an injury to persons using or operating the ride or device.

Major Damage:

As it pertains to amusement rides and devices:  Any damage requiring either outright replacement or major reconstruction of the ride or device or its components and would likely result in injury to persons using or operating the ride or device if operation continued.

C)   Reporting and operations requirements table

D)   Return to service declaration