You may have seen or read about modern high tech rides stopped in mid flight. Often with the head line, Ride Broke Down and Passengers Stranded!
Why do we see this more, and what causes a Ride to stop?
Rides and Attractions have evolved to offer faster and higher thrills to entertain customers. This has been made possible with modern design, technology, passenger containment and plc computer control systems linked to an array of sensors to monitor the safe operation of the ride.
This of course this has increased the complexity of the rides.
If the computer control system loses a connection from any part of the ride, or signal from one of the many sensors that monitor the whole ride, it will stop the ride in Safe Mode.
A control system has to be 100% or will not allow the ride to work. A loose connection will cause an intermittent fault and can be troublesome and hard to find….
This is the most common reason a ride stops.
A good maintenance and service schedule help to keep these ride stoppages down.
During set up of our Extreme Ride this week, we spotted a damaged spring clip that locks the control wire connector together so assuring a good connection for the ride control system. It had been knocked when taking the ride down.
This could have lead to the ride stopping, so was replaced immediately.
Not a simple two minute job…
Important not to rush this type of job, taking photos, checking wire numbers to pin connection and noting it all down.
Wire Ferrels improve connections and hold wire numbers in place.
Once fitted, the ride was thoroughly tested and details put in the daily maintenance log.
Non destructive testing (NDT), know in the business as crack testing, is the process of testing for defects without damaging the components. It is a critical part of inspection to check all structural ride parts, i.e. pins, bolts, welds and corrosion. Most rides have an annual NDT inspection as part of their DOC (Declaration of Operational Compliance). A DOC can not be issued until all parts of the testing have been completed. Electrical, NDT and Ride test.
All rides are different, and so the extent and type of NDT to be performed will vary from ride to ride. Some will not need any, while others will need it in many areas using a number of different methods. Rides that need a NDT will have a schedule for testers to follow. This is normally supplied by the ride manufacturer, or generated by an Inspection Body during the ADIPS pre-use inspection process. The NDT schedule covers the parts to be tested, the frequency of the testing, the NDT methods to be used, and whether all items or a sample of them need to be tested. Ride NDT schedules may change over time as a result of information supplied by the manufacturer, HSE, the industry, or as a result of findings during previous inspections.
Visual inspection, often referred to as inspection, is a key part of testing. This requires the inspection areas to be clean and the removal of any decorative panels or lighting that may be obscuring the area. This should be part of the regular maintenance of a ride. However, there are some defects you simply cannot find without specialist equipment.
Cleaning a ride by hand helps you monitor and spot any potential defects, loose bolts, connections, hydraulic hoses oil leaks and cracks can be spotted.
This type of testing is used mainly on welds. A special white paint is used which has to be cleaned off immediately after testing to save ruining the paintwork.
This type of testing is used for checking pins and bolts.
The NDT is carried out by NDT practitioners who are qualified to perform a variety of NDT methods such as magnetic particle (MPI) or ultrasonic testing (UT). The NDT practitioner may work a inspection body or it may be a separate NDT company and registered with ADIPS.
The Danter family have used Capital Inspection, a specialist Non Destructive Testing company for many years. They specialise in non destructive testing and offering both laboratory and site services.
The UKAS accredited laboratory for radiography is comprehensively equipped to meet the NDT requirements of its customers and provides its services to industries from a wide manufacturing spectrum. Based in Colnbrook, which is within minutes of the M25, M4 and M3 motorways, the laboratory is readily accessible to and from all parts of southern England.
The site services division of the company is equipped to carry out all forms of non-destructive testing anywhere in the United Kingdom. Staffed by experienced and trained personnel, the division provides its services on a contract or day to day basis and has the backing of the laboratory quality control systems and procedures. Personnel approvals to PCN in accordance with BS EN ISO 9712
My last post gave an overview of how the ADIPs testing scheme works for amusement devices. However, there is a similar testing scheme for the inflatable play industry called PiPA. Inflatables Slides, Bouncy Castles ect can be tested by ADIPs testers, but PiPA testers specialize in just inflatables, with many of the testers being manufactures of play equipment.
“The text below is taken from the PiPA web site”
Is an inspection scheme set up by the inflatable play industry to ensure that children’s inflatable play equipment conforms to recognised standards. It is coordinated by The Performance Textiles Association (trading as MUTA), the UK’s only Trade Association dedicated to marquees, tents and structures, whose members include manufacturers and operators of inflatable play equipment. The scheme is supported by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) who were consulted at every stage of its development.
While inflatable play equipment is normally a very safe and pleasurable way for children to exercise whilst having fun, poorly designed or badly worn equipment can increase the risk of injury to its users.
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, manufacturers, hirers, operators and users have a responsibility to ensure minimum risk. Clearly that risk is much more easily managed if the equipment conforms to accepted standards and has been regularly tested. PIPA provides a means for everyone in the supply chain to know that the equipment itself is safe, both on initial use and thereafter.
BS EN 14960:2013 is the European standard to which inflatable play equipment is tested through the PIPA scheme. British Standards are not strictly defined by the UK law but following them is regarded as “best practice” and would usually be sufficient to demonstrate compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974.
Each piece of conforming equipment supplied by a reputable manufacturer or importer is “tagged” with a unique number which is attached to the inflatable throughout its life.
The tag number is logged on a central database where the results of its initial test and subsequent annual tests are recorded. In addition a certificate is issued with each test.
HSE & Event organizers have access to the PIPA database via the Internet www.pipa.org.uk and can therefore check on the inspection status of any tagged equipment.
A month before our inflatable slide test was due to expire, we made arrangements to take it back to the manufacture who made it for a re testing. Although it has only had light use, if it needed any repaires, these could be noted and then rectified at the same time.
The pass certificate below shows what is inspected by the tester.
www.hse.gov.uk/entertainment/fairgrounds/inflatables.htm
Working to keep the Fun in the Fair👍
This is the first of a series of short blogs I am doing to inform people of the procedures involved in testing Rides and Attractions at Fun Fairs and Amusement Parks.
ADIPS, is short for Amusement Device Inspection Procedures Scheme. This is the national scheme for inspection and certification of Fun Fair and Amusement devices (Rides & Attractions) for Fairgrounds and Amusement Parks.
ADIPS is managed and administered by the Amusement Device Safety Council which is made up of representatives from all major industry trade associations. It is operated by ADIPS Ltd, a not for profit company. Any trading surplus generated by ADIPS Ltd is reinvested into ADIPS to improve its services, or the industry to improve health and safety standards.
Only qualified and approved engineers that are registered with ADIPS are allowed to issue ADIPS Declarations of Operational Compliance (DOCs) and reports and only registered rides can display the ADIPS device tag showing its unique ADIPS ID Number.
You can be confident that any DOC bearing the ADIPS mark confirms that the required inspections have been carried out by an experienced and qualified inspector and deemed safe to operate.
The annual testing is carried out by registered inspection bodies whose capability to perform competent and independent inspection is assessed and monitored on an ongoing basis.
ADIPS certification is known as a Declaration of Operational Compliance. Referred to in the industry, as the DOC.
“Only following the satisfactory completion of ADIPS inspections are amusement devices certified as safe to operate”
All registered amusement attractions have an ADIPS ID No badge (Tag). These are normally stuck on the control box or pay booth where they are secure and can be viewed.
HSE officers, Event managers, and Councils can easily check all Ride/Attraction DOCs on the ADIPS website with either the DOC or ADIPs ID No’s.
This shows when the test expires, device name, number and photo at the time of test so the DOC can not be used on another attraction.
“A DOC only guarantees the Ride was safe to operate at the time of inspection. It is the responsibility of the ride operator to operate and maintain it properly between inspections’
Luke Ditchburn , general manager ADIPs
We hope you have found this blog informative and you appreciate the procedures and work involved in keeping Fun Fairs and Amusement Parks safe.
For more information visit the ADIPS and HSE web sites.
Check back soon for Blogs covering, NDT Testing 2, Ride Test 3, Daily /Weekly Checks 4 and much more.
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Historically, Fairs never used to start until March with the advent of milder Spring weather and the nights drawing out. The exception has always been Kings Lynn Mart Fair, the Charter marking the Valentine’s Day Fair was granted by Henry VIII in 1537. This ancient Fair is held over two weeks on the Tuesday Market Place and has always been the first major Fair of the year.
However, many Fairs are now held in February over the half term break if a hard standing venue is available. This is essential as any parks are to soft to use until Easter.
Our Extreme Ride has the pleasure of starting the season in South Wales with Denzil Danters Fun Fair @Cwmbran, then Newport Stadium, Cardiff Stadium before Easter @Pontypridd Ysangharad War Memorial Park. Check out Denzil’s FB page for more information on these Fairs and competitions to win free ride tickets. You can also follow our @ExtremeRideUK on Twitter and Instagram where we post about venues we are attending, updates and fun stuff. Well it is social media😉
“All the details and information you need when planning your visit to the Fun Fair or Festival”
The Danter family run a lot of Fun Fairs, however, due to the quality and presentation of our rides, we get asked to attend many Fairs and Festivals through out the country. We are very pleased with our events page, our aim with it is to help promote any event we may be attending, adding all the information below.
We look forward to seeing you at the Fair😉
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