IAAPA has released statistics from its nationwide amusement ride injury reporting system, created with the National Safety Council.

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Amusement Ride Injury Statistics

While the amusement park and attractions industry is in the business of fun, the owners, operators and suppliers take all aspects of this business very seriously, especially when it comes to ride safety. The industry is both saddened and concerned whenever a guest is injured on a ride. Amusement facilities are designed to safely deliver enjoyment and fun to their guests, so it is especially troubling when a guest is injured. Thus, operators and manufacturers work continuously to provide a safe and enjoyable visit for every guest, and a quick glance at the numbers their success in meeting this goal.

Fixed-site amusement ride safety in the United States is the product of a continuously evolving network of regulatory and monitoring authorities who enforce, evaluate and modify amusement ride safety guidelines and specifications. This includes state certified ride inspectors, internal policing by both facilities themselves as well as the industry at large and third party technical analysis.

IAAPA and the National Safety Council (NSC) worked together to establish a nationwide amusement ride injury reporting system for all facilities operating fixed-site amusement rides in the United States. This system analyzes data from a statistically-valid sample to produce an annual amusement ride injury estimate for the overall fixed-site amusement ride sector in the U.S. The sample used in this particular system draws from IAAPA member facilities operating fixed-site amusement rides in the United States; these facilities are required to submit incident reports directly to the NSC. Participation in this survey is mandatory for all IAAPA members operating fixed-site amusement rides in the U.S.

In 2005, more than 300 million guests visited U.S. amusement facilities and safely enjoyed 1.8 billion rides. The most recent Fixed-site Amusement Ride Injury Survey highlights that an estimated 1,713 ride related injuries occurred in 2005 with a low average of four fatalities a year going back to 1987. Only 132 of the injuries in 2005 were reported as “serious”, meaning that they required some form of overnight treatment at a hospital; this comprised roughly 7 percent of all ride injuries.

The report, which summarizes amusement ride injuries in the United States, is updated annually. The latest report, is available here: http://www.nsc.org/lrs/res/fap_906.pdf

If you have trouble locating the report through the link, you can find it this way:

1) Go to the National Safety Council website, www.nsc.org. 2) Click on Services

3) Click on Research & Statistics. 4) On the right side of the Research & Statistical Services page is a series of Related Links. Click on Fixed-Site Amusement Ride Injury Survey Update (.pdf) and you will see the document.

You can also download a PDF of the Fixed-site Amusement Ride Injury Survey.

Released by IAAPA