Woodcock, K., 2022. Safety evaluation of amusement rides using accumulated accident data: Accident data framework. Journal of Themed Experience and Attractions Studies 2, 40-53. Link
Amusement rides and devices are a popular form of recreation and important component of the tourism industry. Injury-producing accidents are rare, and the viability of the industry relies on perceived safety of the activity. Some existing metrics use accumulated accident reports. Several metrics tabulate the number of injuries, but none collect enough information about the context of accidents to analyse the accumulated data to deduce patterns. This paper describes an Accident Data Framework for a minimal set of variables from reports of amusement device accident, and the structure for a useful narrative to aid reporters and recorders to avoid introducing bias. A pilot test with 125 industry practitioners supported the general feasibility of this approach. A review of requirements confirms the framework supports compliance with ASTM F770, a major international standard. Refinements made in response to a pilot test of the Accident Framework were incorporated into the classification rules, provided in an Annex to the paper.
