04 Mar 2019
Queensland government introduces new safety regulations in wake of Dreamworld deaths
BY Luke Cloherty
The government of Queensland, Australia, has announced a number of new regulations for any visitor attractions operating rollercoasters or rides, following a tragedy at Dreamworld in 2016 that took the lives of four people.
All rides at anything from theme parks to carnivals to county fairs in Queensland will be subject to pull-apart inspections every decade under the new regulations, while ride operators will have to undergo more stringent training perform their duties.
Workplace health and safety inspectors will carry out the checks, which could potentially see rides and attractions closed for weeks at a time.
Rides will now also have to have detailed logbooks that display records of annual inspections and any maintenance issues incurred throughout the year.
The regulations will come into effect as of 1 May 2019 and will be phased in over a two-year period.
"We think there’s no need to wait and we can get this started and make this industry safe," said industrial relations minister for Queensland Grace Grace.
"We’re hoping that these new regulations will go a long way to improving the safety of these rides."
The incident at Dreamworld took place in October 2016 on the Thunder River Rapids ride. Four people were killed when the ride malfunctioned and two rides collided throwing riders into a conveyor mechanism.
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