Fatal Injury Occurs When Worker Enters Path of Active Zipper Ride

Location: Prince Rupert

Regulated industry sector: Amusement Devices

Incident overview

An experienced amusement ride attendant who did not typically work with the Zipper ride had volunteered to assist the ride operator. During a typical pause in operation of the ride, the attendant stepped into the ride’s path to collect fallen items from underneath the ride. At the same time, the operator running the ride was approached and distracted by members of the public.  

A few seconds later, the operator resumed ride operations in the opposite direction, unaware that the attendant was still in the path of the ride. A passenger carrying unit then struck the attendant, tragically causing fatal injuries. 

Factors that contributed to the incident included no communication between attendant and the operator, limited physical barriers that allowed the public to interfere with the operator, and routine unsafe practice of working inside dangerous areas.