Testing for Amusement Rides and Theme Parks

The Importance of Testing, Inspection and Certification for Amusement Rides and Theme Parks

Amusement rides and theme parks must undergo initial inspection and regular periodic inspections to assess their state of repair and operational safety according to national and international regulations. Testing, inspection and certification of amusement rides and theme parks enable you to:

Increase customer confidence in your product
Shorten time to market
Expand market access by complying with regulatory requirements and standards
Realize greater cost effectiveness since most of our services are provided locally
Minimize business risks such as potential legal liabilities and regulation violations

Our Amusement Ride and Theme Park Expertise

Our Amusement Ride and Theme Park Expertise As a globally recognized authority and certification body with more than 80 years in the amusement ride and structure testing business, TÜV SÜD is your trusted partner for the inspection, testing and certification of amusement rides, ride subsystems and theme parks. Our 100 engineers who are dedicated amusement ride experts have inspected more than 18,000 amusement rides and certified more than 5,000 amusement rides.

TÜV SÜD provides one-stop technical services for the certification, inspection, testing, consulting and training of amusement rides. As an experienced and impartial expert organization, we can provide you with comprehensive technical support and services with respect to the safety, quality and preparedness for use of amusement rides and building structures.

Our team helps you to apply safety concepts throughout the design, commissioning, use and maintenance of your theme parks and amusement rides, providing all-around assurance for product safety and safeguarding their normal operation. We can help you meet your needs when designing a new ride or theme park, including design reviews, risk analysis, manufacturing inspections and audits, installation auditing, testing, maintenance and operations auditing or final certification to the authority having jurisdiction. We can also assist you with routine inspections, annual reviews or audits or other special services for existing rides.

Our Services for Amusement Rides and Theme Parks

We can provide testing, inspection and certification services to amusement ride and theme park manufacturers, owners/operators, ride installers, general contractors and regulators. Our team can perform these services for amusement rides/attractions, water slides/slides, ropeways, playground equipment, playground surfaces, recreational facilities and leisure sport facilities, including ski resorts.

Learn more about our specific services below:

Ride Design Review
- We can perform evaluations against the requirements of the following national, state and local standards, including harmonization between U.S. and international standards:
  - ASTM F2291 Standard Practice for Design of Amusement Rides and Devices
  - ASTM F770 Practice for Ownership, Operation, Maintenance, and Inspection of Amusement Rides and Devices
  - ASTM F1193 Practice for Quality, Manufacture, and Construction of Amusement Rides and Devices
  - ASTM F2137 Practice for Measuring the Dynamic Characteristics of Amusement Rides and Devices
  - EN 1090 Fabrication and Assembly
  - EN 13814 Safety of Amusement Rides and Amusement Devices (Part 1, 2, 3)
- Independent 3rd party review of ride foundations and geotechnical assessment
- Independent 3rd party review of mechanical structural design
  - Calculations
  - Load assumptions
  - Static calculations
  - Fatigue analysis
  - Life cycle analysis
- Independent 3rd party review of electrical design and calculations
- Functional safety
- Risk analysis
  - System hazard assessment
  - Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
  - Design risk assessment
  - Operational use risk assessment
- Procurement advisory
Ride Manufacturing Review
- Factory audits – quality assurance program according to ASTM F1193
- Continuous monitoring of QA/QC during production
- Welding inspections according to AWS and EN standards
- UL 508A – Safety of Industrial Control Panels
- Ride manufacturing Quality Logbook inspection, review and audit
- Material certificates
- Assembly verification
- Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT)
- Prototype testing (witness, evaluation of test, review of specification)
- Manufacturer certification (e.g. EN 1090)
Installation Review and Monitoring
- Evaluation according to ASTM F1193 Practice for Quality, Manufacture, and Construction of Amusement Rides and Devices
- Ride system installation plan review and monitoring
- Continuous monitoring of QA/QC during installation
- Installation record audits and verifications
- Welding inspection and NDT
Ride Commissioning and Certification
- New rides and major modification
- Acceleration measurement according to ASTM F2291 and ASTM F2137
- Strain gauge measurement
- Inspection according to ASTM F770
- Verification of compliance according to ASTM F2291
- 3rd party/NRTL/Recognized Body/certify to Authority Having Jurisdiction
Maintenance and Operations
- Certification according to ASTM F770, F2291
- Operator and maintenance training
- Annual inspection and audit
- Review of maintenance procedures
- Independent maintenance audit
- Independent operational audit
- Incident management