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Standards for U.S. Amusement Rides and Devices
The amusement ride industry has developed a set of voluntarily engineering standards through ASTM International. The ASTM F-24 committee is responsible for standards related to amusement rides and devices. This includes waterslides, inflatables, and go-karts.
How Are ASTM Standards Used?
The ASTM F-24 committee develops minimum standards of safety for design, manufacturing, operation, maintenance, and inspection of amusement rides and devices. According the the F-24 committee, thirty-five states reference at least part of the industry standards in their regulatory laws for amusement rides.
Who Writes the Safety Standards for U.S. Amusement Rides?
Membership is open to anyone at a cost of $75 per year. As of 2008, the ASTM F-24 committee had over 400 members, including ride manufacturers, amusement park and carnival representatives, industry attorneys, safety consultants, ride inspectors, and regulatory officials.
How Does the ASTM Process Work?
- The F-24 executive committee creates subcommittees, appoints members to leadership positions, and determines the scope/direction of standards development.
- Subcommittee chairs appoint small task groups to draft new standards or upgrade existing standards. Task group assignments are subject to approval by the executive committee.
- Once the task group members have agreed on draft language, the standards are put out for ballot to subcommittee members. If a balloted standard passes subcommittee vote, it's put out for vote by the full committee.
- All members may comment on balloted standards, but only voting members may cast a yes/no vote. A single company or organization may have many employees on the F-24 committee as non-voting members, but voting memberships are restricted to prohibit a single company or organization from controlling the vote. ASTM rules require the committee to maintain a balance between producer members (defined by ASTM as ride manufacturers) and user members (defined by ASTM as ride owner/operators). There is no requirement that the committee ensure similar a balance between the interests of the industry and the those of the end-users (i.e., consumers).
- ASTM standards are developed through a consensus process. "No" votes must be accompanied by a reason in order to be considered valid. If the task group finds even a single negative vote persuasive, the ballot fails. Negatives found non-persuasive by the task group must be voted on by the full membership. The consensus process may be tedious at times, but it tends to produce standards that have been thoroughly reviewed by the members of the committee.
- The committee meets on the east coast in the fall and the west coast in early spring, but attendance is optional. Members can review, comment, and vote on the proposed standards through email.
International Standards Organizations
- http://www.iso.org - International Standards Organization (ISO) develops International Standards for Business, Government and Society. ISO does not produce amusement ride standards, but does produce a wide array of supporting standards.
- http://www.csa.ca - The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and safety officials from Canadian provinces are working with ASTM International to develop a harmonized standard for amusement rides that uses ASTM F-24 documents in combination with local requirements.
- http://www.standards.org.au - Standards Australia (SA) develops safety standards for amusement rides and devices operated in Australia.
- http://www.cen.eu/cenorm/homepage.htm - European Committee for Standardization developed EN 13814: Fairground and Amusement Park Machinery and Structures - Safety.
IAAPA's International Harmonization Effort
The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) hosts and promotes a Disney-led industry effort to harmonize safety standards for amusement rides and devices, using the ASTM F-24 standards as the baseline. For more information, read the following PowerPoint presentation:
