WDBJ7 Roanoke News and Weather NRV Lynchburg Danville | How the Salem Fair is making sure rides are safe for Thursday's opening
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The rides are rolling in to the parking lot of the Salem Civic Center, and Amusement Ride Inspector Danny Abner is checking them out.
"We treat the fairgoers the way we would treat our own children," says Carey Harveycutter with the Salem Civic Center.The Salem Fair is the largest fair in the area and it opens for business on Thursday afternoon.
Tuesday, News 7 took a closer look at how the Salem Fair insures the safety of its patrons.
A number of factors contribute to ride safety.
An operator who puts safety first, inspectors who double check to make sure rides are assembled properly, and riders who pay attention to the rules.
The rides are rolling in to the parking lot of the Salem Civic Center, and Danny Abner is checking them out.
"The restraints actually open and they ratchet back to the size of the person," says Abner.
Certified as an amusement ride inspector in a dozen states, Abner showed us what he looks for when he reviews a ride like "the Tornado."
"I check the blocking, I check all the pins and keys. Make sure it's all pinned and keyed together. Every ride is either bolted together or a pin goes through the hole and a key holds the pin in and I check every one of those," says Abner.
The state requires that each ride is checked out by a certified inspector after it's set up. The operator conducts a daily inspection that's tailored to each individual ride.
As a requirement of the Salem Fair's contract with Deggeller Attractions, the safety consultant is on-site during the entire run.
"I wouldn't want my kids on an unsafe ride. Donny Degeler wouldn't have his kids on an unsafe ride and we treat the fairgoers the way we would treat our own children," says Harveycutter with the Salem Civic Center.
We don't want to ingore the behavior of fairgoers.
Safety experts say many injuries are attributed to riders who ignore safety rules.
