WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — You may have always wondered who inspects all the carnival rides you get on every year. The Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing is in charge of that.
Inspections for each ride are different. State inspectors check every ride by following the manufacturer's guidelines and observing the ride firsthand before it's open to the public.
Viral videos in the past have shown carnival rides malfunctioning, which can lead to concerns for people who enjoy riding carnival rides each year.
"It does make you wonder if they're bolted in all the way or if they're safe, but I know that's like one in a million to go wrong," Washington County Fair attendee Ethan Simowitz said.
"On the way here, I had thought about it like the one in a million chance like, you're on the ride, and it's your ride that it's going wrong, but I just trust that people will do it properly," fair attendee Lindsay Carlson said.
Early Tuesday morning state inspectors were on site checking the harnesses and straps of each ride to make sure it's good to go for opening day. Washington County Fair leaders said the rides are as safe as they can be.
"This is the state Occupational Health and Safety Administration, so it has nothing to do with the carnival. They're inspected by our state, and it’s safe," Doris Cassidy said. "They have a total checklist that they go through."
According to the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing Director Ralph Hudson, portable amusement rides and attractions must be inspected every time they are set up. Inspectors use many tools, information from previous inspections of the ride, and consult ride safety alerts that are published by manufacturers to assess the safety.
"That does make me feel safer, knowing that [they] a double and triple check," Carlson said.
Hudson said these checks are essential.
"With respect to the mobile rides, it's important because those rides are on the back of trucks being hauled down highways and roads that could impact everything from a ride's hydraulics to welds," he said. "So, if a ride is moved from one location to another, it can impact the safety of the ride and that is one of the reasons why we inspect every time a mobile carnival sets up and before they are allowed to open the ride to the public."
The Department of Labor said each ride must be insured in the minimum amount of $1 million per incident or occurrence.
The Washington County Fair began Tuesday, Aug. 20, and will run until Saturday, Aug. 24. Admission to the fair is $5 and $7.50 with credit cards.
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