Fair Malfunction Scares Parents, Who is Responsible for Checking Rides in New York State?

If parents are ever worried about rides at lawn fetes or fairs, their fear is probably that something goes wrong with a ride and that is exactly what happened at a fair in New York State.

At the Cattaraugus County Fair in Little Valley, New York, a ride got stuck with people dangling 50 feet in the air. The fire department and other agencies responded and everyone is safe, but you could imagine how ride-goers and onlookers were feeling. The swing ride was brought down to the ground within an hour.

When you go to a lawn fete or a fair in New York State, every single ride at a fair is inspected at every setup by the New York State Department of Labor. You will see an inspection tag that is visible to riders. Big fairs, such as the Erie County Fair in Western New York, also have an independent inspector in addition to the New York State Department of Labor check.

When it comes to amusement parks, New York State law is that rides only need to be inspected yearly. According to the New York State website:

Department employees inspect all rides at stationary amusement parks at least once a year, and rides at traveling fairs or carnivals are inspected every time the ride is set up in a new location. A ride cannot be operated without a permit from the Department of Labor. For details please see New York State Department of Labor's Code Rule 45.

 

All amusement rides that pass inspection and are safe to ride will have a DOL inspection tag that is visible at the ride’s point of entry.

You can click on the county and specific amusement parks and rides in order to check the status of the ride inspection.