
Earlier this month the 10-year-old son’s untimely death of Kansas House of Representatives member, Scott Schwab, has raised questions about waterpark safety regulations. With questions still left unanswered after this tragedy it remains unclear whether regulations will change, or tighter restrictions be made. At this time the world famous Schlitterbahn waterpark has reopened, but without the ride which lead to this tragic incident.
Where Do Waterpark Regulations Come From
Each waterpark ride requirement and specification comes directly from designers and manufacturers.While ANSI produces a standard for water slides, government regulation is handled on a state level. After incidents like this one the question on whether or not the federal government should step in is always posed.
Even after such incidents occur, the World Waterpark Association and the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions maintain that this state and local level regulation standard proves to be the most effective and that federal government involvement is not necessary. Industry safety records are consistently considered excellent, with the change of a serious injury on a U.S. amusement park ride is 1 in 16 million.
Investigations into whether or not safety standards and requirements were met during this tragic incident are ongoing.
Source: Aquatics International
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