Inspectors ensure ride safety

Brian Bitner balances on an aqua stool as he reaches to adjust something on the Sky Wheel.

The general manager of Smokey Mountain Amusements repeated the repair several times as the wheel turned until it met the approval of the four safety inspectors standing on the ground.

Only a few of the double-wheeled Ferris wheels are in operation in the state, said Jonathan Brooks, N.C. Department of Labor Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau chief, during the Iredell County Agricultural Fair’s ride inspection.

“It’s a very tough piece to inspect,” he said.

Bitner and his staff spent five days leveling and reassembling the ride.

Brooks and four state inspectors were at the Iredell County Fair-grounds on Friday and Monday to make sure every R-pin was in place, every pad was fastened and the bars were in good condition.

Bitner said North Carolina has a 100 percent rule, which requires all the rides to match manufacturers’ specifications to the letter.

“You break something, you are in trouble,” he said. “It’s got to be 100 percent right or the ride isn’t going to open.”

Brooks said each inspector has a laptop computer with hundreds of uploaded manufacturer manuals.

Earlier, Brooks watched state inspector Gary Moore as he reviewed the pin and keep placement on the Flying Bobs. The team of inspectors had already looked at the ride once, but came back after fair workers put up the lights and decorations.

“We have to check the blocking,” Brooks said, pointing to the wooden blocks holding the ride’s feet. “We pretty much look at every thing from A to Z.”

Once a ride is torn down, an amusement ride company can’t reopen it until inspectors check its electrical, mechanical and hydraulic systems, said Tommy Petty, who supervises the state’s western inspections division.

“We do shut rides down,” he said.

Petty said one county had 12 rides slated to open up, but only three passed inspections.

Brooks, who has worked for the Department of Labor for 15 years, said a lot of people ask him about the safety of these rides.

“We haven’t had a patron fatality since I’ve started here,” he said.

He said 85 to 90 percent of the accidents on amusement rides are caused by the patron or the ride operator.

The Department of Labor conducts surprise inspections throughout the week to make sure operators are running the rides properly, he said.

In contrast, Petty said, permanent locations like Carowinds only get inspected once a year, along with the spot checks.

Last week, some of Petty’s co-workers inspected Smokey Mountain’s rides. Brooks said the supervisor probably sent Petty notes for each of the rides to make sure any minor repairs were carried out.

“North Carolina is well known to have one of the best programs in the country,” Brooks said.

He said Virginia has a state-mandated program, but it’s run by the municipalities; Tennessee doesn’t have an inspection program; and Georgia and South Carolina don’t require frequent inspections.

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