Amusement parks have the responsibility to provide a fun and safe environment for their Guests. Each amusement park has its own set of rules and/or restrictions to help achieve and maintain this safe environment. Amusement parks don't want to have an injured Guest; that is bad publicity and it could seriously damage the park, especially those small companies. In California, each ride is inspected annually by the Division of Occupational Health and Safety (DOSH -kind of like OSHA). This inspection includes training paperwork (ride guides, training documents, Ride Op. Observations, and a few more things), as well as Maintenance documentation, including maintenance reports, down time and compliance with manufacturer specifications. In addition, DOSH also conducts a detailed mechanical inspection of each ride in the park, from nuts and bolts to signs and labels. This is a very expensive inspection for the amusement parks, but does help maintain a safe park and operation. Now, Guests also need to take responsibility for their own safety. One of the most common Guest Service calls for ride operations is regarding an upset parent because his/her child, who does not meets the safety requirements, is not allowed to ride. The most common response from parents when explained the safety reasons is "I am riding with him, I'll take responsibility". Most mishaps are due to Guests not following safety rules or standards, and in most cases where the Employee is the injured person, is due to the same reason. I am a Ride Operations Manager and I work with this every day!
Go to the park; we want you to have the best time ever, so please help us provide this great, fun and safe environment by following the safety rules and restrictions each park. Don't ask us to compromise your safety!