How Funfair Rides are Tested for Safety
Safety is very important when hiring funfair rides for your event or celebration.
In this article, find out how funfair rides are inspected and tested for safety, including the necessary tests and checks that all entertainment rentals must follow to be completely safe for guests.
As with any big equipment or machinery, there are strict rules to follow when it comes to funfair ride inspections and safety checks. This includes important tests before anyone uses the ride, and regular annual services to check everything is still in working order.
The Amusement Devices Inspection Procedures Scheme (ADIPS) creates these inspection standards, and they apply to all fairground rides and funfair rentals that are used in the UK.
Pre Use Inspections for Funfair Rides
The pre-use inspections carried out before guests can use a funfair rental include several steps for safety. A full design review will verify whether the ride is safe enough for people to use, and it involves a review of the ride design from an independent source.
During this review, an assessor will decide whether the designer of the ride has considered any possible safety risks. All funfair rides and fairground rentals need this review before they can be used for the first time.
The pre-use inspection also includes an assessment of conformity to design. This takes place after the design review, and it aims to check that any safety aspects of the ride are included in the reviewed design.
The final pre-use inspection involves an initial test of the fairground ride or funfair game.
Although the first two steps will flag any important safety issues that need to be resolved with the concept and design of the ride, this final step will make sure the funfair ride functions properly while in action.
An initial test often involves more than one test run, considering different aspects of performance so that every possible health and safety issue can be resolved before allowing the public to ride.
Maintenance and Inspections of Funfair Rides
Regular, annual inspections of funfair rides must also take place every 12 months, to ensure the mechanical, electrical, software and other integral systems are all updated for modern use.
The right maintenance throughout the year will make sure that all funfair rides meet these in-service inspections every year.
Here at We are Tricycle, we have lots of funfair rides and games for hire across the UK. It is important to choose a fairground rental company that you can trust, to give you full peace of mind at your local event, community festival, birthday party or big fairground celebration.
From waltzers to Ferris wheels, all of our fairground rides and funfair stalls are fun, exciting and safe for your friends and family.
Please contact us today for plenty of funfair rides and fairground entertainment options for your next big event or get in touch to find out more about our funfair ride tests and inspections.
Where Ride Testing Fits into Wider Funfair Safety
Testing is an important part of amusement ride safety, but it is not the only safeguard surrounding an attraction. A ride also needs appropriate maintenance, correct installation, routine checks and operation in accordance with the requirements that apply to the equipment.
If you want a broader view of the system surrounding the testing described above, What Are the UK's Safety Standards for Fairgrounds? explains how different aspects of fairground safety fit together.
Read More About ADIPS and Ride Inspection
For readers who have encountered ADIPS while researching amusement-device testing, What Is the ADIPS Scheme? provides dedicated background on the scheme and its role within the inspection of amusement devices.
This is also useful reading for event organisers who want to understand the difference between formal inspection arrangements and the checks carried out during the normal operation of a ride.
Testing Does Not Replace Daily Safety Checks
A ride having undergone the appropriate testing does not remove the need for checks associated with its ongoing use. Daily Safety Checks for Funfair Rides looks specifically at the routine checks surrounding amusement equipment before and during its operational life.
For organisers, this distinction is important. Formal testing, maintenance and routine operational checks perform related but different functions.
Some Components May Require More Specialised Examination
Readers interested in the technical side of ride inspection can continue to Non-destructive Testing of Funfair Rides. This looks at methods used to examine relevant components without damaging them in the process.
It provides a more focused follow-on from the general overview of ride testing on this page.
Maintenance Continues Between Inspection Points
Testing provides information about an amusement device at particular stages, while maintenance forms part of its continuing working life. Funfair Ride Periodic Maintenance explains this longer-term aspect of caring for fairground equipment.
Together, testing, inspection and maintenance help provide a more complete picture than any one of these subjects considered on its own.
Installation Is Another Important Part of the Process
Mobile fairground rides are transported between venues and installed for individual events. Correct setup therefore forms another part of the operational chain surrounding an attraction.
How to Assemble and Dismantle Funfair Rides looks more closely at ride assembly and removal, while How to Set Up and Tear Down Funfair Rides considers setup within the wider event process.
You can also read How Are Funfair Rides Transported? for more information about how mobile amusement equipment reaches and leaves an event site.
Risk Assessment Addresses the Event Around the Ride
Ride testing should not be confused with assessing the risks associated with a particular event, site or operating situation. Venue conditions, visitors, queues, access, weather and surrounding equipment can introduce considerations that extend beyond the technical condition of the attraction.
How to Perform a Funfair Ride Risk Assessment explores this wider process and provides a useful next step for organisers planning fairground rides at their venue.
Electrical Safety Has Its Own Requirements
Many attractions depend on electrical equipment and power infrastructure, making electrical safety another connected but distinct subject.
Fairground Electrical Safety Regulations provides further guidance on electrical considerations at fairgrounds, while How Are Funfair Rides Powered? explains more about the practical systems used to supply power to amusement equipment.
Testing Cannot Remove the Need for Safe Passenger Loading
Even appropriately inspected equipment needs to be operated correctly when passengers are using it. Loading procedures, restraints, seating and operator instructions remain relevant each time an attraction carries riders.
How to Safely Load Funfair Rides looks specifically at this stage of the passenger journey.
Passenger Restrictions Remain Important
Testing an attraction does not mean it is suitable for every person. Individual rides can have legitimate passenger requirements relating to matters such as height, restraint suitability or health considerations.
Why Do Some Funfair Rides Have Height Restrictions? explains the reasoning behind height requirements, while Funfair Ride Health Restrictions and the Equality Act provides further information about health considerations and accessibility.
For parents in particular, How Tall Do Children Have to Be for Fairground Rides? provides further guidance about why there is no single minimum height covering every attraction.
Weather Can Change the Operating Situation
A ride can have completed the appropriate inspection processes and still need to stop operating when environmental conditions become unsuitable. This does not invalidate the testing process. It reflects the fact that safe operation also depends on conditions at the event.
How to Keep Funfair Rides Safe in Windy Conditions covers wind-specific considerations, while How to Prepare Funfairs for Adverse Weather looks at a wider range of weather conditions.
A Ride Stopping Does Not Automatically Mean Testing Has Failed
From a visitor's perspective, an attraction coming to a stop can sometimes appear alarming. There are, however, numerous operational, environmental and technical reasons why a ride may stop or be prevented from operating.
What Causes a Funfair Ride to Stop? looks at these situations in more detail and explains why a stop should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of a mechanical failure.
Look Beyond the Ride to Guest Safety
The condition of individual equipment is only one element of a safe fairground. Visitors also interact with queues, pedestrian routes, other attractions and the wider venue.
How to Ensure the Safety of Your Guests at Your Funfair looks at this broader event environment. Common Factors in Funfair Injuries provides additional context about the different circumstances that can contribute to incidents.
Continue Reading About Funfair Ride Safety
If you are researching how amusement rides are kept safe throughout their working and operating lives, Are Fairground Rides Safe? provides a useful overview, while Health and Safety FAQs answers additional questions about fairground safety.
You can also browse our Guides for information covering inspections, maintenance, weather, electrical systems, passenger requirements and event planning. If you are arranging fairground and funfair hire, contact us to discuss your venue and the attractions required for your event.