The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health ordered all Fire Ball rides to shut down statewide following a tragedy at an amusement park in Ohio while officials conduct inspections for safety, according to an announcement released Thursday.
Several passengers riding on the 40-foot spinning and swinging structure at the Ohio State Fair were hurled into the air as the ride broke apart. One person is dead and seven people were injured.
CAL/OSHA’s Amusement Ride and Tramway Unit, which exists to ensure safety of passengers riding on amusement rides and tramways, is now working with all the owners of the rides pending word from the manufacturers or after a ride inspection by Cal/OSHA. Meanwhile, the manufacturer of the ride on Friday asked all fairs to discontinue the popular ride, according to media reports.
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division fined Abhe & Svoboda Inc. $189,000 for nine safety violations — two of them willful — for exposing employees to death or serious injury as they worked on a project to restore the Ross Island Bridge in Portland, according to an announcement from the regulator’s office.