A new accident in Blois: as the high summer season approaches, the question of attraction safety arises again

Even if the number of fatal accidents is minimal compared to the number of attractions in France, the problem of their safety arises again. Especially on the eve of the summer season and high attendance. MAXPPP – Ludovic Maillard

Even if they are rare compared to the number of funfairs and amusement parks, fatal incidents once again put the security risks of installations at the heart of the news.

The countdown started a few weeks, even a few months ago. The process leading to the authorization of the reopening of amusement parks in the various tourist towns is nearing the end. But since last weekend, it has become even more crucial in one aspect: security.

The sector deplores, in fact, a new victim. A 27-year-old young woman lost her life at the Blois funfair, in Loir-et-Cher, ejected from a ride after the safety barrier opened. The fatal incident is reminiscent of that which occurred last summer at Luna Park in Cap d’Agde (read elsewhere). So, before the big reunion with the attractions, in a few weeks, obviously, the theme of safety is more priority than ever.

"Our responsibility as mayor is at stake"

"As mayor of a tourist town hosting an amusement park, our responsibility is at stake", agrees Christian Jeanjean, mayor of Palavas. Its town hosts a large leisure area made up of around sixty fairgrounds offering rides and other attractions. "For each attraction, they must present a complete file, including guarantees concerning security measures", he adds .

For the past few days, Saint-Affrique, in the north of Aveyron, has been hosting the annual funfair. It will last until the beginning of May."Before any authorization, we check that the fairgrounds who come there have all the necessary administrative approvals and that their attractions are up to date with inspection visits", insists Laurent Tabutin, general director of services. Which reminds us that the funfair does not have "any aerial attraction", the kind of installation likely to generate an incident .

Daily checks for fairground workers

Since the law of February 13, 2008, concerning the safety of rides, machines and installations for fairgrounds or amusement parks, the latter are strictly regulated by French legislation. They are subject to an initial and periodic technical inspection relating to their operating condition and their ability to ensure the safety of people, carried out and verified by organizations approved by the Ministry of the Interior. There are around ten of these organisms.

Periodic technical inspections must be carried out every year for thrill rides and every three years for shared rides and those reserved for children. A technical inspection certificate is subsequently issued, otherwise the municipality must order the closure of the ride in question or if it judges that public safety is jeopardized. It is also up to the fairground workers to carry out daily checks.

"The ride undergoes an inspection as soon as it is released"

Secretary general of the Federation of French fairgrounds, Stéphane Dubief, also a fairground in Gruissan, in Aude, recalls that "the ride already undergoes an inspection as soon as it comes out of design& ;quot;. As for the regulations, it distinguishes two types of persons responsible for installations. "There is the municipality, when the installations are the subject of an authorization to occupy the public domain, and then there is the individual when the amusement park is located on private land.

In the first case, "it’it’is the mayor who must check that all attractions installed are in compliance with safety rules, in particular" . In the second, "it’it’is the third person who owns the land, who must ensure that everything is up to date in terms of controls, insurance and of respect for the observations made during the passage of the controller.

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