Theme park reviews starting
As communities continue to struggle with last week’s fatal Dreamworld accident, authorities are beginning their investigations.
Dreamworld has committed to an internal audit of all its theme park rides, but questioned have been asked about who will carry out this work.
The Australian Institute for the Certification of Inspection Personnel - which regulates safety inspectors of industrial machinery – has told reported that it is not aware of any organisation that could certify or regulate theme park ride inspectors.
Additionally, the Australian Workers’ Union says there is a culture of self-regulation at theme parks that has created complacency, and that junior or under-trained staff were left in charge of the rides.
But chief executive of Dreamworld, Craig Davidson, says the machines and their operators have been checked.
“Our processes were approved by the ride manufacturer,” Mr Davidson said.
“They were audited and approved by an independent external ride safety expert and they were inspected and approved by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, the regulator.”
A statement from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland does not back up those claims.
“Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland does not approve staffing levels for theme park rides,” the statement says.
“Because of the range of factors that must be taken into account, such as number of patrons and competence of staff, the duty is on the person conducting a business or undertaking to assess the risks.”
The Queensland Government is catsing a wide net in its response, launching a safety audit of all the state’s theme parks.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says all Workplace Health and Safety processes will themselves be audited too.
“It is simply not enough for us to be compliant with our current laws, we need to be sure our laws keep pace with international research and new technologies,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“The audit will also consider whether existing penalties are sufficient to act as deterrents, and whether these should be strengthened to contain provisions relating to gross negligence causing death.
“Because we all know how important workplace safety is and how important it is to have strong deterrents.
“That's why Queensland has the best record in Australia at prosecuting employers for negligence - and we are now examining current regulations to see if there are any further measures we can take to discourage unsafe practices.”
Specialist inspectors and engineers will go over all rides and maintenance records at theme parks, including Dreamworld, Wet'n'Wild, Sea World and Movie World on the Gold Coast, along with Aussie World and Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast.
The audits should be complete by December.