carnival safety

[TimMiller]

I recently attended an event and quickly walked through their carnival they were having. How in the heck any inspector didn't shut them down was beyond me. The biggest safety concern i had besides, a bunch of 440V cam being run across the ground completely uncovered just waiting for some kid to stick something in, was a big slide that went under some high voltage power lines. The distance from the slide to the power lines was about 6-8'. I couldn't believe what i saw. Anyone else run into stuff like this? A local tent company had a guy electrocuted due to they were setting up a tent and he got about 3-4' from a power line and it arc'd over and killed him. They were setting up the tent on wet ground so that did not help one bit.

[Derrick]

Yeah, those carnivals scare me too. Haven't been to one since...well let's just say it's been a loooong time.

Depending on the actual voltage of the "high voltage lines" and distance, this could very well be a problem. Either way, error on the side of caution. Call your local electric utility and inform them of the situation. Let them look at it. Might save someone from a serious injury.

Good catch and thanks for the concern!

[TimMiller]

based on what i saw it looks like they were running 440V the feeder off of the generator was quite small, then their distro was out in the middle of the walk way with spaghetti trailing off everywhere.

[Footer]

I am usually more concerned with the non rated bolts that have been over torqued 900 times holding the ferris wheel together. All in all, it amazes me there is not more deaths at those things.

Carnies, the only thing below stagehands.

[DaveySimps]

I do a lot of summer concerts that are part of your typical city summer festivals. Most have carnivals as well. From what I have seen over the years, I would say that the unprotected feeder cable / cam connectors and the unrated bolts / hardware are standard operating procedure for the carnival folks. In fact, I cannot think of any time I have not seen feeder run for thousands of yards in dirt, usually with potable water lines run in close proximity. I too wonder how it is possible that are not more injuries.

~Dave

[NickJones]

At all the theme parks they constantly check all the rides for saftey, and they all get taken out of service every few months to be properly inspected, but I very much doubt this happens to the carnival ones, and if it does, my guess is they wouldn't report it unless they had to. Carnival people scare me....
Nick

[FatherMurphy]

My employer has a couple of ferris wheels (don't ask, it's a long story) in rental stock, so I've got a bit more of an inside view of this.

First off, if there's no transformers around, the camlok laying on the ground is probably carrying 208/120 power, not 440. Carnies are looking to make their own life easy, and locking themselves out of being able to buy parts at normal stores isn't something they like to do. As for placement, the water/electricity combination isn't as volatile as most people think. A camlok in good condition is moderately raintight, and I've done lots of outdoor power jobs where live camlok connectors got rained on and no problems resulted from it (submerged is another question, as is placing cables in traffic patterns).

Traveling rides are, in most states, inspected at the first stop of the year in that state. The ride cannot be operated (legally) until the inspection is done, and any defects found are corrected. After that, the rides are only inspected on request. Ride inspectors usually aren't concerned with the placement of the ride on the fairgrounds (like the powerline proximity noted above), but just with the general condition and safety features of the ride itself. The inspectors themselves can be an odd lot - my state's inspectors are also responsible for elevators and steam boilers. A nearby state has an inspection statute on the books, but no inspectors. If you're doubtful about a ride, ask to see the inspection sticker (usually on a license plate sort of thing mounted in plain view). If there's several states worth of this year's stickers, it's probably a pretty safe ride.

As for the bolts, most rides use the bolts as pins in double shear, not as bolts under tension. Speed of setup and tear down is a major concern for carnies, so they try to get things arranged so that the fewest people are needed to do the work the fastest. The original rides are usually fairly well engineered and built, it's the later modifications that need to be looked at.

For all the hype and hysteria, there's very few accidents per year that are actual equipment failures. Usually, the riders themselves are doing stupid things when people get hurt.

[NickJones]

The carnies that left the town I live in left a very very long three-phase behind. I saw it weeks later, and threw it in the back of my truck. After taking it home, I learned it had obviously been run over by a lawnmower, I presumed this would be why they had stopped using it, but the fact that it had reminisce of tape on it, and dirt in between the inner wires, suggested it was used by them. Dangerous much? I could see the copper. I now have an un-usable 3phase, I cut it off at the slice, some day I will get it fixed. But who checks carnie's stuff? Who knows they exist, they have no permanent addresses. I know that none of there gear is tagged, at least here in Aus at least.
Nick

[00AVD]

I helped out a local school a couple of weeks ago with power distribution for their fete. All of my gear was tested & tagged and I also tested everything that was being plugged in. A few well meaning people offered the use of their (untested) leads, but I politely declined. A bit of planning and the use of a catenary wire to keep some of the cables away from damage made the whole day run smoothly.

The rides people had their own power (gensets) of course, so I didn't get a good look at the state of their gear. I have loaned a 3 phase lead of them in years past and it was in good condition so I don't have cause for concern I suspect.

Different ride operators at other fetes that I've been a visitor to have had very dodgy looking leads, no (or expired) tags and little protection from the public. Surely the lighter duty (not drive over) versions of those cable protector ramps aren't that expensive and hard to tour with?

[mstaylor]

Rides are inspected more than you would think. They have to apply for permits to set-up so there is a record of where they are working. While some ride companies are shifty at best, they have a tendency to run themselves out of work. If they don't have safe equipment, the people that hire them are few in number and talk to each other when there are problems. A bad operator will soon find no place that will hire him.