Editorial: State needs more stringent inspections of rides

County fairs bring loads of entertainment to people during the summer, including those carnival rides for the young and young at heart.

But when people jump on those rides, shouldn't they expect that the rides have had recent, independent inspections to help ensure they are safe?

That doesn't appear to be happening in West Virginia under the state's current inspection system.

As described to The Herald-Dispatch reporter Christian Alexandersen for a Monday story, all amusement rides and attractions are checked once a year by a private inspector working as an agent of the state. That includes such items as rock climbing walls, inflatable rides and bungee rides.

The privatized system was adopted in the last few years.

Since the privatization, one Division of Labor employee is in charge of performing random ride inspections throughout the state. That same employee also oversees all of the inspections done by companies as agents of the state.

Two part-time employees perform event inspections but only to ensure the ride owners have their proper inspection certifications. They do not perform ride safety inspections, according to Jennifer Burgess, director of safety for the state's Division of Labor.

The question here is not whether the system should be privatized. That's irrelevant so long as inspectors are thorough and look out for the public's interest.

The major concern is whether the frequency of inspections is enough. As constructed now, the system would allow amusement ride operators to go months -- up to a full year -- without a state inspection. Meanwhile, their rides are being used on a steady basis. And for carnival operations that are not stationary, that means they will be set up and torn down many, many times during a year -- with no likelihood of an inspection to ensure the rides are safe. Having just one state employee making random inspections across the whole state hardly seems sufficient.

A preferable system would be one similar to what happens in some other states, such as Ohio. There rides must receive an annual operating permit and must be inspected at each location setup. Rides found unsafe must be repaired before they are allowed to operate again.

That approach clearly provides a stronger safety net for avoiding problems and injuries to the public.

It appears that West Virginia has been fortunate and that at least most of the companies operating here -- including the state's only amusement park, Camden Park -- take the issue of safety seriously. No major calamities in terms of injuries or deaths have been reported in recent years.

But West Virginia should seriously consider more stringent inspection requirements, such as checking mobile carnival rides at each location, to provide more assurances that the rides West Virginians enjoy won't hurt them. And it should be done before someone's death provides a wake-up call. Let's wake up now.