The first day of the Erie County Fair came and went safely, thanks to the usual precautions taken by ride operators and safety inspectors. Concerns have been raised nationally following recent incidents where children were injured or killed on rides.George Weston, general manager of Strates Shows, which operates the fair’s rides, said each of the fair’s 59 rides this year comes with a manufacturer’s inspection report that is completed daily. That follows an initial inspection by his team, an independent inspector, and a state ride safety inspector.
“Nobody wants to have anybody injured. That’s the worst-case scenario. So you take all the precautions, you do everything that you can humanly possibly do every day to ensure the public’s safety. It’s also a responsibility of the people that are attending these events to follow all the written instructions and the verbal instructions that are given to them from the ride operators,” Weston told WBFO.
Safety is on the minds of many this week, in light of two serious accidents at major amusement attractions in Kansas and Tennessee at the start of the week. Weston said the fair does not have any Ferris wheels or water slides like those that were involved in those accidents in Tennessee and Kansas. He said his staff trains and plans for safety all year long and has one of the best records in the industry.
“The fair has an independent ride safety expert that they hire as an extra set of eyes that goes around and checks things. He’s on call 24/7 while the fair is operating and New York State has their state ride inspectors out here that actually give the final okay before anything is opened,” Weston added.
The state Department of Labor reports that four of the fair’s 59 rides this year were not permitted to open yesterday. Weston said the four rides did not arrive in time to be assembled for inspection and they will be opened once they’ve been assembled and checked.
Weston said his team and the fair have a number of safety protocols in place, including for dangerous weather. He said long before any bad weather hits the fairgrounds, high rides are shut down and people are sent to designated safe zones.
Weston also said height, weight, and any other restrictions for all fair rides are strictly followed.
“We enforce that 100 percent. There’s some rides that you cant put small children on because the safety features of that ride are designed for an adult. That’s a given. A lot of people are disappointed, but you’re going to have to do that and enforce that. You can’t afford to overlook it or allow somebody to ride a ride that doesn’t meet the requirements of the ride,” he explained.
