Job search
Job Search
Latest news
More news: (showing 1 - 20 of 13747)           
UK only International

UK rides reopen following death of man on similar US attraction in Ohio

By Tom Anstey    10 Aug 2017
Lightwater Valley has closed its Eagles Claw following the accident

A number of rides at theme parks in the UK have reopened after being shut down by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an accident on a similar attraction in the US which left one dead and seven injured.

Eighteen-year-old Tyler Jarrell died at the Ohio State Fair on 26 July after being thrown into the air by the Fire Ball spinning pendulum ride, which broke apart while in operation.

The HSE confirmed in a statement that five similar KMG Afterburner rides in the UK were subject to a prohibition enforcement notice, meaning that they were taken out of operation.

“There are six machines of this version operating in UK which were all thoroughly inspected within the last 12 months in line with agreed procedures,” said the HSE statement.

The rides closed as a result of the notice include those at Pleasurewood Hills in East Anglia, Ryan Crow Amusements in the North East, Coney Beach Fair in South Wales, Manning's Amusements based in Hertfordshire, and Brean Theme Park in Somerset. Lightwater Valley in North Yorkshire also closed its ride immediately following the Ohio accident. Those can now reopen.

"As a precaution we proactively took the decision to temporarily stop operating the ride until it had undergone a comprehensive inspection and re-testing procedure," said Lightwater Valley in a statement to Attractions Management.

"Although there are fundamental differences between our permanent ride and the travelling version, which was involved in the tragic accident in the US, our ride engineers have fully implemented all the manufacturer’s new recommendations and carried out all updated test procedures for the ride.

"The ride has now been fully checked and approved for operation by external inspectors and the HSE has been notified and have given their approval for the ride to re-open."

In a separate statement, Pleasurewood Hills general manager, Adam Noble, said: “The manufacturers inspected the ride in America and understood what had gone wrong with it. They shared with us the instructions as to what we needed to change to make sure the ride was safe.

“We complied with that and used our own engineers and ADIPS inspectors. They said it was absolutely fine and cleared it to reopen.”

The remaining operators have all confirmed the reopening of the remaining rides following HSE assessment.

The ride model in question swings like a pendulum from side to side while spinning its passengers. Ohio’s Governor John Kasich has called for a full investigation into the tragedy. Following its own investigation, the ride’s designers KMG said that the accident on the 18-year-old ride was the result of "excessive corrosion on the interior of the gondola support beam," which "dangerously reduced the beam's wall thickness over the years."

Health and safety executive  theme parks  visitor attractions  HSE  KMG  Ohio State Fair  Fire Ball 
Sign up for FREE ezines
Related news
Sports jobs

Chief Executive Officer

Redbridge Sports & Leisure
Salary: on request
Location: Barkingside, Ilford, UK

Cleaning Assistant

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive pay rates
Location: Gainsborough

Team Leader

Everyone Active
Salary: £25,550
Location: Wythenshawe

Lifeguard/Recreation Assistant

Everyone Active
Salary: £25000
Location: Wythenshawe

Civic Partnership Manager

Everyone Active
Salary: £35,000 - £40,000 + benefits
Location: Bristol, UK

Fitness Instructor

University of Brighton
Salary: £23,144 to £25,138pa
Location: Moulsecoomb, Brighton and Hove, Brighton, UK

Duty Manager

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Clevedon

Swim Teacher

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Bristol

Team Leader

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive salary, excellent benefits
Location: Bristol
recruiting with sports management

Duty/Operations Manager

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive salary
Location: Bristol

Recreation Assistant

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive salary
Location: Romford

Sport Centre Team Leader

Harrow School
Salary: £29,500pa + pension + benefits
Location: Harrow, UK

Team Leader BSV

Everyone Active
Salary: £26,175.00
Location: Basildon

Lifeguard/Recreation Assistant

Everyone Active
Salary: £23,856
Location: Basildon

Casual Swim Teacher

Everyone Active
Salary: £18.50 per hour
Location: Basildon

Team Leader

Everyone Active
Salary: £25,925.00
Location: Brentwood
recruiting with sports management

Lifeguard/Recreation Assistant

Everyone Active
Salary: £23,856
Location: Brentwood

Duty Manager

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Middlesbrough

Duty Manager Golf and Athletics

Active Luton
Salary: £30,027pa + non-contrib pension + benefits
Location: Stockwood Park Golf Club, London Road, Luton, UK

Swimming Teacher

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive rates of pay
Location: Rickmansworth, UK

Swimming Teacher

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive rates of pay
Location: Watford, UK
Swimming Teacher jobs  duty manager jobs  Team Leader jobs  Swim Manager jobs  general manager jobs  recreation assistant jobs 
More jobs

Company profile

Company profile: Elevate
The UK's largest annual trade event dedicated to physical activity, health, and performance
View full profile >
More company profiles

Featured Supplier

Group exercise complaints now a thing of the past for Reynolds Group
Complaints about group exercise have become a thing of the past for the Reynolds Group thanks to its partnership with CoverMe, a digital platform that simplifies group exercise and PT management for clubs and instructors.
View full details >
More featured suppliers

Property & Tenders

Location: Loughton, IG10
Company: Knight Frank
Location: Grantham, Leicestershire
Company: Belvoir Castle
Location: Verwood, Dorset
Company: AVISON YOUNG
Location: Hall Place House, Bexley, DA5 1PQ
Company: London Borough of Bexley
Location: 15 Concessions across the nation's forests
Company: Forestry England
More properties & tenders

Diary dates

30 May - 02 Jun 2024
Rimini Exhibition Center, Rimini, Italy
06-06 Jun 2024
Drayton Manor Theme Park & Resort, Tamworth, United Kingdom
08-08 Jun 2024
Worldwide, Various
11-13 Jun 2024
Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore, Singapore
More diary dates