Here in My Faire City, a few years back, a child was electrocuted at an itinerant carnival when a
feeder cable with defective
insulation came into contact with "bike rack"
barricade, that the child touched. The result was a
bit more
hand waiving and clutching of pearls than usual, but the outcome was a weak, equine-excrement ride inspection law and increased insurance requirement, both of which are being blamed for the loss of carnival and fair midway rides.
There were already Codes that dealt with the electrical failure that
led to the little girl's death, which occurred because neither the State nor municipalities required more than a cursory inspection, if any, to go with whatever minimal permitting was required. The new inspections have brought out just how sketchy many small time rides and attractions become over time - rust and corrosion to structures, UV and rodent damage to wiring, unrecognized wear and tear. Attempting to keep other kids from injury or death would seem to be something we could all agree is a Good Think®. Some see it as intrusive, inconvenient, and an assault on the right to die on a carnival ride... /sarc
Nobody should have to die for a good time to be had... and that's the reason I joined the Event
Safety Alliance when Jim Digby was able to put words to his anger and sadness that our industry - that knows how to do things more safely - was complicit by neglect in a number of stunning, life-taking entertainment failures.
Interesting tidbit: the SLV - statistical life value - for a person in the USA is currently about $10m. When asking the question "how many people have to die before somebody does something..." the answer is "how much does it cost to do nothing?" Do the math and find out how much, over how long, it takes for those to intersect, and then tip the balance in favor of "doing something about...."