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You are here: Home / Walt Disney World Resort / Theme Park Safety

Theme Park Safety

September 5, 2003 by Mike Scopa

An unfortunate accident occurred at the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

attraction at Disneyland recently. The accident took the life of a guest

who was in the front car of the “runaway train.” Several other

guests sustained injuries in the accident.

I was even more shocked to find out which car the guest had been riding

in when the accident occurred. I myself had ridden in the first car behind

the locomotive at the Walt Disney World Big Thunder attraction this past

summer.

A tragedy like this always raises concerns of guests, especially parents,

as to the safety of any theme park attraction; more importantly the safety

level of the thrill rides.

How many times have you heard someone quip, “I’m not worried ’cause

it’s Disney!” Have we heard that phrase for the last time? Does Disney

go to great lengths to make sure the safety of its guests?

Let’s explore some of the known facts about Disney safety precautions

at their largest resort, Walt Disney World.

The Magic Kingdom

The first thing that comes to mind regarding theme park safety is the

integrity of the rides themselves. How secure are they? Is everything

in working order? What about the effect of nature’s elements on these

attractions? How about heat, humidity and the worse culprit of them all…

water?

Over time, water can be detrimental to the structure and workings of

an attraction. In the Magic Kingdom, many of the attractions that co-exist

with water receive special attention, especially Splash Mountain. Any

part of the attraction that touches the water receives extra scrutiny

to make sure that the integrity of the attraction, specifically those

factors that contribute to the safe operation of the attraction, have

not been compromised by moisture build-up.

How tough is water on attractions? Water was a big factor in the dismantling

of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction at the Magic Kingdom. The

maintenance cost for that attraction kept rising every year and it soon

became too costly to maintain the attraction, especially replacement part

costs.

Disney theme parks have been known in the past to employ a tag system

to ensure the completion of daily inspections on its attractions. Simply,

boards hold tags, which represent specific areas of the attraction. Cast

members inspecting the attraction would transfer tags as inspections were

completed. For instance a cast member, responsible for section A of the

ride would remove that tag and take it with him while inspecting that

section. Once the inspection was complete, he would place that tag on

the “finished” board. Thus at the end of an inspection shift

one board would be completely empty while the other board would be full,

indicating that all inspections were complete. This system makes sure

that all portions of the attraction would be covered.

Space Mountain goes through rigorous inspections all the time. An attraction

that has been around for a while and has logged an incredible number of

ride sequences is prone to metal fatigue. Thus Space Mountain is inspected

frequently (with the lights on, of course) to ensure guest safety.

Getting back to Splash Mountain, one of the last areas worked on were

the friction points, which allowed the logs to drop freely, but also controlled

how the logs stopped. It’s just as important to safely bring ride vehicles

to a stop, as it is to provide a safe takeoff.

Epcot

A few years back, a child was injured in the Spaceship Earth loading

area. It was obviously a case where the child did not comply with the

safety precautions. The child was part of a family from outside the United

States who were visiting the resort. When English is a second language

or guests do not speak English at all, meeting safety levels become even

more of a challenge.

One of the most popular Epcot attractions is Test Track. With cars traveling

at such high speeds every precaution was taken to make sure that the Test

Track vehicles provide safe transport for guests. One of the concerns

was the breakdown of the vehicles. Could they stand the wear and tear

of the extreme conditions? Even more important were the tires for these

vehicles. Much trial and error went into these last phases of the attraction

before allowing guests to enjoy its thrills. It took a while for everything

to measure up to safety standards… time well spent.

Mission: Space has had a rough introduction to park guests. During the

first 90 days of operation (soft opening and tests) many who tried the

attraction suffered dizziness, nausea, and headaches. Early on, one in

three guests would suffer such symptoms.

Eventually this ratio has been reduced to 1 in 30. However, for such

rides as Mission:Space, some responsibility needs to fall on the shoulders

of the guests.

Mission: Space has numerous warnings about the attraction’s forces, and

give guests ample time to determine if these warnings apply to them. Guests

who are physically prone to injury due to a pre-existing medical or health

conditions should think long and hard regarding any attraction displaying

warnings.

Disney-MGM Studios

The first thrill ride for Disney-MGM Studios (with apologies to Star

Tours) was the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This attraction went through

several design phases, and a prototype was built to test the attraction.

One story circulating several years back was that the Imagineers were

excited one day to have some top Disney execs try out the attraction.

As the story goes, the elevator did not have seats and that these execs

stood, did not stand, as the elevator descended. Apparently there was

some tweaking in order as a few of the execs “soiled” their

clothes.

A few years back, a cast member mentioned how the elevator cables in

the tower were frequently replaced to avoid the allowance of stretching

and snapping over time. There is a strict schedule that calls for replacements

every few weeks.

The objective is to avoid problems before they even start, another move

to achieve the safest conditions.

There are also several backup systems in place in case of a cable snapping.

How about Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster? Disney has obviously learned that

the more they can control their attraction environment, the safer the

attraction will be for the guests.

In the case of Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, there is a remarkable similarity

to that of Space Mountain—specifically, that it is indoors and in

the dark.

One difference between the two is comfort. Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster has

big cushy padding and rather unintrusive harness. Space Mountain remains

somewhat uncomfortable to some guests, primarily the taller ones.

These two attractions are prone to metal fatigue and receive the utmost

scrutiny every 24 hours.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom has slowly been getting its share of thrill rides.

The old Countdown to Extinction now known as Dinosaur has gone through

a bit of a change since it first opened. Some guest had complained that

the ride was too jerky for them to really enjoy the overall theme of the

attraction. Guests with back and neck conditions were forewarned regarding

the attraction’s excessive movements. The Imagineers tamed the attraction

a bit while still providing thrills to its guests.

Dinoland USA has added Primeval Whirl and Triceratops Spin, which are

basic amusement park rides. These last two attractions are exposed to

the elements so extra care is taken to make sure that they are in top

safe operating condition.

Kali River Rapids may seem not so much of a rough ride, but similar rides

have seen the raft topple over. Recently, WDW invoked a new rule for this

ride: guests must now wear footwear.

The new Yeti ride will certainly get some safety scrutiny, as it, too,

will be yet another one of Disney’s famous mountain rides.

Water parks

Let’s not forget water parks. Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon have

their own unique attractions and lifeguards are aplenty. I have often

heard cast members say that the most difficult cast member job in Walt

Disney World is to be a lifeguard at Typhoon Lagoon’s Big Wave Pool.

The reason for this is that during the course of a big wave and aftermath,

the lifeguards must be able to determine whether guests are having fun,

fooling around, or are actually in some sort of distress.

Lifeguard duty at a Disney water park is serious business.

Theme park industry responsibilities

The theme park industry recognizes that if guests lose their confidence

in the industry’s ability to provide safe and reliable attractions, their

bottom line will certainly suffer. Also, in these tough economic times,

the leisure dollar is not so plentiful, which is an even greater motivation

to pay attention to safety.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA)

will be meeting in Orlando next month and there are at least nine sessions

scheduled to discuss park safety.

Among the topics being discussed are attraction safety as well as safe

food operations and security.

The organization has developed a book entitled Amusement Facility

Incident Guidelines, which discusses how to improve safety standards

and how to investigate accidents which the overall objective of preventing

them from happening again.

Earlier this year, several studies were made on the amusement industry.

The results concluded that the industry is indeed focused on safety. The

Brain Injury Association of America, Exponent Failure Analysis, the American

Association of Neurological Surgeons and the University of Pennsylvania

conducted separate studies. The results of these studies will be discussed

in Orlando as to how the findings can be used by the industry to further

improve guest safety.

One key session in the upcoming Orlando conference will focus on “Best

Practices in Safety Management” and will be presented by Jerry Aldrich

who is a former General Manager of maintenance at Walt Disney World. Mr.

Aldrich serves on IAAPA’s Safety & Maintenance Committee and consults

to the industry on safety related issues.

Joining Aldrich will be R. Wayne Pierce an attorney at Miles and Stockbridge

P.C. who provides advice and expertise to the industry on rider responsibility

laws and other safety related issues. This session will focus on how best

to mange safety, how to help guests understand how their behavior contributes

to their safety, safety for disabled guests, and safety improvement measures

for equipment.

The industry takes a serious attitude towards safety. They try to do

their part. So should we.

Our responsibilities as theme park guests

So what should we do to help ourselves stay safe in theme parks? Here

are a few guidelines:

  • Listen to the ride operators. It’s their job to keep you safe. Help

    them help you have a safe and fun ride.

  • Sit back in your seat. Don’t stand up, and don’t leave the vehicle

    until it comes to a complete stop.

  • If you have children in your party, never let them chew gum while

    hopping off and on an attraction. Little throats have little openings

    and even gum can choke a child.

  • Pay attention to any warnings, rules and guidelines for specific attractions.

    That is your responsibility.

  • If the ride has a harness, make sure it is snug around you. Hold onto

    anything there for stability: a bar, or even the harness itself.

Every day when we emerge from our beds, we roll the dice. Every time

we turn the ignition, we venture into possible danger.

Theme parks are no different. Every attraction may have some potential

danger for guests. Who’s to say that a lighting fixture wouldn’t fall

from the ceiling of a theater?

Who’s to say that a carrousel horse wouldn’t jar loose during the ride?

Finally, how safe are those monorails?

As you read these words there, is a Disney cast member somewhere checking

for wear and tear on some track, making sure bolts are tight on some ride

vehicle, and determining whether a ride component is up for replacement.

Somewhere else there is a parent who is trying to decide whether or not

to let his or her 10-year-old on Space Mountain.

For the cast member if there is some doubt as to whether a portion of

an attraction is safe, he will replace, repair, or tighten what’s needed

to erase that doubt.

For the parent, if there is doubt to the safety of a ride, should that

doubt strike that ride from the day’s events? Perhaps that will be the

rule and not the exception for the next few weeks.

Instead of us hearing, “If it’s a Disney ride, then it’s bound to

be safe,” we may be hearing, “Even if it’s a Disney ride, it

may not be completely safe.”

However, you can be sure that Disney, as well as Universal Studios, Busch

Gardens, Sea World, Six Flags, Cedar Point and others understand that

their safety records have a direct effect on their bottom line, and that

they are doing everything they can to evoke the highest level of confidence

in their safety standards by the guests.

That’s about all we as consumers can ask of these entertainment giants.

Are they perfect? No. But who is?

By the way, when was the last time you had your brakes inspected and

your house smoke/fire detection system tested? Probably not as much as

the amusement park closest to your house.

Be safe.

Author

  • Mike Scopa
    Mike Scopa

    View all posts

Filed Under: Walt Disney World Resort

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