North Carolina Department of Labor ride inspectors have been inspecting rides at the fairgrounds for weeks as ride owners and operators set up nearly one hundred rides for the state fair.
Inspectors say North Carolina's Amusement Device laws are among the strictest in the country, requiring equipment to meet 100% of the manufacturer's specifications before a ride can operate. State inspectors check all rides each time they are set up at a new location.
Joey Hazelrigg, an inspector for the state says, "We check the operation of it, make sure all the safety switches are working correctly. Check all the tubs to make sure everything's installed correctly. All the gates are working. It's quite intensive, an exhaustive process."
Inspectors are there at each stage of the setup of the ride, look at the hardware that is used to put the ride together, and check the overall mechanical and structural integrity of the ride as well as the operation of the ride and safety circuits and switches. It's quite a bit that goes into a ride inspection.
"We're inspecting the components as it's being assembled while it's on the ground. And then after it's been assembled, we're inspecting the construction and operation of the ride itself. It involves climbing you see a ladder on the side here. We get in harnesses and we're climbing. Make sure all hardware and proper hardware's installed properly."
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Once the ride has been inspected and certified by the NC Department of Labor, it is up to the ride owner and operators to do an operational check each day and to operate the ride under the requirements of the law. Inspectors will be there throughout the state fair keeping a close eye on the rides and will respond if something happens.
If fairgoers notice something with a ride that does not seem right, report it right away either to the ride operators, security at the fair, or one of their inspectors.
The 2024 NC State Fair runs from Thursday, October 17 to Sunday, October 27.