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Friday, October 03, 2003
New regulations will make funfairs safer for public use
REGULATIONS to ensure the safety of funfair equipment and to protect members of the public from dangers arising from substandard funfair rides come into effect from today (Wednesday).
Under the regulations signed into law by Martin Cullen, Minister for the Environment, funfair operators must have a safety certificate. Furthermore, the Minister has provided enforcement powers to local authorities where no valid certificate of safety is available.
Strict controls which are aimed at ensuring that funfair equipment cannot be operated legally in Ireland without a vialid safety certificate have been introduced following a small number of fatal accidents and injuries at funfairs.
On August 4, 2002, sixteen-years-old John Flavin, from Carrigeen Lee, Tramore, lost his life while working on a “Reverse Ejection Seat Bungee” ride at the local Amusement Park. An investigation was subsequently carried out by the Health and Safety Authority and court action against the owner of the ride is to be heard next month.
Minister Cullen hopes that the regulations which have now come into force will prevent further fairground accidents. The regulations, he said, would place a duty of care on organisers of funfairs and owners of fairground equipment. They would also require owners and organisers of funfairs to have a valid certificate of safety in place to operate funfair equipment.
There would also be an obligation on a person who intended to hold or organise a funfair to give notice of it to the local authority in whose functional area the funfair would be held.
Local authorities will now have enforcement powers where they have either not been notified of the holding of a funfair or where no valid certificate of safety is available.
The regulatory system, which was devised with the full co-operation and support of the Irish Showman’ Guild, aims to ensure that funfair equipment cannot be operated legally in Ireland without a valid safety certificate.
Minister Cullen said: “Tragically, there have been a small number of fatal accidents and injuries at funfairs. Generally, operators are responsible nonetheless the public needs to be assured that equipment at funfairs operates to the highest safety standards”.
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