A safety alert has been issued by the Northern Territory's work safety watchdog warning of a risk of "serious injury or death" if amusement rides are not properly inspected for faults.
The alert follows investigations into an accident at the Freds Pass Show in May, which left one woman injured and 10 children temporarily trapped after a ride called The Octopus malfunctioned, sending a gondola crashing to the ground.
The review by NT WorkSafe has found problems with corrosion on the ride's "sweep arm" as well as potentially inadequate testing of the ride's structural integrity by its operator.
The watchdog has also revealed it found cracks in the main shaft of a separate swinging chair ride, operated by a different company at another event in the NT earlier this month.
With thousands of Territorians set to attend the Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin shows over the next month, NT WorkSafe has warned operators that they must ensure their amusement rides meet Australian standards.
"The purpose of this safety alert is to highlight the risk of serious injury or death if amusement rides or devices are not inspected and tested to the appropriate standard," NT WorkSafe stated.
The alert describes the factors that contributed to the accident in May and lists the actions required of operators to various standards.
Brake failure, welded repair job
In the case of The Octopus ride, the safety watchdog said its inspection of the buckled metallic arm "showed signs of previous welded repair work in two locations along its length, possibly affecting the structural integrity".
Further testing found eight support rods on the ride were defective.
NT WorkSafe said an audit of records indicated that non-destructive testing may not have been conducted on the ride as frequently as required under Australian guidelines.
Following the initial buckling, the ride continued to rotate for two more revolutions before it finally stopped spinning.
The watchdog said this was partly due to the ride's inadequate brake.
"An absence of a protective cover on the brake disc led to contamination affecting the efficiency of the brake, which contributed in the ride performing two full revolutions before coming to a stop," WorkSafe NT said.
Over the past decade, there have been several serious incidents involving rides at shows.
In 2011, an eight-year-old girl suffered a fractured pelvis and leg after she was thrown from a ride at the Katherine show.
In 2014, an eight-year-old girl on holidays from Malaysia died after she was thrown from a ride at the Royal Adelaide Show.
Following the accident at the Fred's Pass Show in May, NT WorkSafe said: "The responsibility of checking the safety of a ride sits with the ride owner and the engineer they engage."
It added that it and other regulators audited the rides' maintenance records and log books.
NT WorkSafe is continuing to investigate the Freds Pass Show incident.
