Madison, Wis. – Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) Secretary Dan Hereth and Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich joined state inspectors at Bay Beach Amusement Park on Wednesday, just a few days ahead of the amusement park’s opening weekend.
“I’ve been here (Bay Beach) several times over the years, both for work and for fun. It’s truly a special place,” Sec. Hereth said after spending some time shadowing one of his department’s inspectors. “It’s warming up and people are getting excited for the summer season, and we want to help make sure they have a safe season. Safety, through work like these ride inspections, is a major part of our department’s mission.”
The DSPS, through its Division of Industry Services’ Bureau of Field Services, enforces standards to protect the design, construction, and operation of amusement rides and attractions. Inspectors have been at Bay Beach every day this week for annual inspection and review of rides, including those that are new or received major overhauls. State inspectors will also look at the newly rebuilt stairwell for the big slide at Bay Beach.
“We’ve invested a lot into the park here over the past couple years. We have newer rides like the Nebulaz, brand new bumper cars, and new buckets and equipment on other rides. We still have some preparations to make but we will work with DSPS to complete inspections and have most everything up and running by this weekend,” said Facilities Superintendent Jason Arnoldi, noting the stair project necessitates the slide being closed this first weekend.
Wisconsin requires amusement ride operators register all rides with the state annually and that the rides be registered before they are opened to the public. In addition, plans for new rides should be submitted to DSPS for approval, and amusement rides are subject to periodic inspection by DSPS Field Services staff.
To further protect the public, operators are required to perform and document visual inspections during assembly of amusement rides, and they should record daily inspections of every ride before operating them.
DSPS will not provide a registration sticker for a ride in certain circumstances, including:
- Uncorrected safety issues from a previous inspection/review
- Modifications, repairs, or maintenance not done in accordance with safe practice
- Failure to provide non-destructive testing information when required (at operating site)
“Safety is in our name. It plays a part in almost every decision our department makes, and we take it seriously, from building plan review, to enforcing regulations for state license holders, to things like these ride inspections,” Sec. Hereth said. “We cannot completely eliminate risk in every situation, but we can enforce state laws and rules in place to protect the public. We worry about safety so Wisconsin families don’t have to.”
