
Program Summary
Accessibility for Ride Operations
- Instructor: Erik H. Beard
- Affiliation: International Ride Training, Managing Member and General Counsel
- Course Synopsis: Focus on how to look at the ride from a risk assessment and minimum physical abilities perspective so that they can actually make an informed choice about what is really necessary (and what is not) to enjoy the attraction.
Documentation 101: Creating a Compliant and Effective Training Manual
- Instructor: Erik H. Beard
- Affiliation: International Ride Training, Managing Member and General Counsel
- Course Synopsis: Creating a Compliant and Effective Training Manual: There are just a TON of myths surrounding the question “What makes a good training manual?” This course looks at the question from both the compliance side (example: what is required per industry standards or regulations) and from an efficacy perspective (example: will my manual be a good training tool?). We look at where to find the content for your manual, how to write it so it makes sense, how to test your manual, and address some of the more common misconceptions about the manual process.
ASTM Evacuation Planning
- Instructor: Erik H. Beard
- Affiliation: International Ride Training, Managing Member and General Counsel
- Course Synopsis: This is a course focused on the ASTM F770 requirement for evacuation plans. This requirement was added to the standard in 2017/18 and is hugely misunderstood. We will go through the ASTM standard in detail and apply it in a group setting to a common ride. Participants will receive an evacuation plan template that they can bring back to their facilities to start working on evacuation plans for each of their rides.
Overlooked Safety Concepts in Ride Operations
- Instructor: Erik H. Beard
- Affiliation: International Ride Training, Managing Member and General Counsel
- Course Synopsis: This course is aimed at dispelling the myth that running a ride is nothing more than measuring kids and pushing the “Go” button. It looks at several concepts in ride operations that have an impact on ride safety but are frequently overlooked by ride operators. The course is applicable to FECs, mobile shows, and fixed site attractions and will look at things like guest engagement, loose article policy, safe zones, track crossings, and pre-dispatch checks.
Ride Manufacturer: Zamperla
- Instructor: Phil Castellano
- Affiliation: Field Service Manager, Zamperla Inc.
- Course Synopsis: General information on inspecting, operating and maintaining Zamperla Rides.
Aerial Passenger Ropeways
- Instructor: CW Craven
- Affiliation: Skyride Enterprises Inc.
- Course Synopsis: Included in this course is the information necessary to effectively inspect and operate aerial tramways and chairlifts. The focus will be on ANSI B-77 requirements for aerial tramways and provides discussion and explanation of the standard requirements, interpretations of requirements and application of those requirements
Rigging Safety
- Instructor: CW Craven
- Affiliation: Skyride Enterprises Inc.
- Course Synopsis: This class will provide the fundamental in making the right connection for safe lifting and the moving of material. Learn the correct terminology, how to establish a rigging plan, the inspection of hardware and slings, the rigging triangle, wire rope clips and other terminations, and crane operator signals used in lifting.
Couplings, U Joints and Shaft Alignment
- Instructor: CW Craven
- Affiliation: Skyride Enterprises Inc.
- Course Synopsis: We will talk about some different types of shaft couplings and their particular needs.
Amusement Park Railroad
- Instructor: CW Craven
- Affiliation: Skyride Enterprises Inc.
- Course Synopsis: Discussions will include ASTM F24:60 task group work on amusement park railroads. We will review a few recent incidents involving amusement park railroads. Bring your operational issues to talk about.
Wire Rope Inspection & Care
- Instructor: CW Craven
- Affiliation: Skyride Enterprises Inc.
- Course Synopsis: Instruction includes an introduction to wire rope nomenclature, attachments, failure modes, inspection, and repair. Lifting slings, support and stabilizing wires, clips and end attachments are also discussed. Hands-on demonstrators and exhibits make this an excellent class for anyone who must select, install, maintain, or repair cables and lifting slings.
Communicable Disease Prevention
- Instructor: Rachel Harper
- Affiliation: Assistant General Manager, Castle Fun Park
- Course Synopsis: This session will focus on best practices for attraction signage and common mistakes to avoid. As COVID-19 vaccinations have become widely available, the overall risk of COVID-19 transmission and serious consequences has begun to diminish. Despite this, the virus will still circulate like other communicable diseases. This session will explore general measures to reduce the risk of communicable diseases within parks and attractions
Attraction Safety Signage
- Instructor: Rachel Harper
- Affiliation: Assistant General Manager, Castle Fun Park
- Course Synopsis: This session will focus on best practices for attraction signage and common mistakes to avoid
Safety Risk Assessments
- Instructor: Matthew Keeler
- Affiliation: Electrical Engineer [TUV Rheinland, P.Eng.]
- Course Synopsis: Risk assessments are critical to an organization’s health and safety mandate. Complex machinery can be hazardous to personnel without having a holistic understanding of the risk factors. The term ‘safety risk assessment’ refers to identifying areas of risk and creating a process to fully eliminate or mitigate them to an acceptable level of safety. Join Matthew Keeler, a TÜV Rheinland certified functional safety engineer, for a life-saving presentation on identifying hazards and performing a risk assessment to promote safer operations for the public.
Using ASTM Standards to Acquire and Analyze Acceleration Data
- Instructor: Brian D. King
- Affiliation: President, Recreation Engineering, Inc.
- Course Synopsis: This presentation is a hands-on demonstration of the use of accelerometers to measure the forces generated on an amusement ride. It closely follows the SARC test procedure outlined in ASTM F2137. Once data is acquired, a real-time analysis is explained step-by-step and conducted to demonstrate the application of the design limits contained in ASTM F2291.
Bearing Types & Uses
- Instructor: Timo Klaus
- Affiliation: Executive Vice President, KumbaK the Amusement Engineers
- Course Synopsis: In this class, first an introduction is provided on what bearings are, what they do and where they are typically applied in the (Amusement) Industry. After this, the various main types of bearings are presented, with a focus on where they are normally applied and why. Finally, types of premature failure are described.
Engineering and the Amusement Industry
- Instructor: Timo Klaus
- Affiliation: Executive Vice President, KumbaK the Amusement Engineers
- Course Synopsis: In this class, engineering and its role in our society are introduced, with a focus on the special engineering requirements of the Amusement Industry. The various engineering Standards, the Hazard & Risk Analysis and other tools and systems are described, which are used by the engineer when designing an attraction. Finally, the various typical steps in the engineering process are described, including their challenges, expected outcome and deliverables.
Old Rides New Tricks: How and When Advanced Engineering Analysis
- Instructor: Timo Klaus
- Affiliation: Executive Vice President, KumbaK the Amusement Engineers
- Course Synopsis: In this class, an introduction is provided on the (partial) upgrading of older attractions, also in the case that the original designer and/or manufacturer is no longer available to provide the necessary support. In this process, modern technologies can be used to support the redesign and/or optimization of the existing ride or its components, which will be briefly introduced.
Periodic Ride Inspection Best Practices
- Instructor: David Looney
- Affiliation: Senior Safety Officer, Passenger Ropeway and Amusement Devices, Technical Safety BC
- Course Synopsis: This course will provide insight into how an inspector conducts an inspection and what key elements should be considered during the inspection.
Ride Foundation and Blocking
- Instructor: Dean McKernon
- Affiliation: VP Operations, Alberta Elevating Devices and Amusement Ride Safety Association
- Course Synopsis: Review requirements of ASTM standard(s), understanding roles and responsibilities of owners/mfg., differences between permanent vs. portable requirements.
Weather (Lightening/Wind/Water) and the Amusement Ride Industry
- Instructor: Dean McKernon
- Affiliation: VP Operations, Alberta Elevating Devices and Amusement Ride Safety Association
- Course Synopsis: Climate change, code changes and owner/operator responsibilities at times create challenges for operators.
Anatomy of an Insurance Claim
- Instructor: Sandy Millar, CRM
- Affiliation: Managing Partner, EQUA Specialty Risk
- Course Synopsis: The practice of risk management is dedicated to identifying, assessing, and controlling threats to an organization. When designing and reviewing risk management practices, it is informative to work backwards, looking closely at real claim scenarios and documents such as Notices of Civil Claim (NOCC) which contain lists of complaints against the defendants. The lessons that can be learned will be the main focus of the session. Secondarily, we will review the normal chain of events, post-loss, leading up to and including a claim.
Incident Investigation
- Instructor: Sandy Millar, CRM
- Affiliation: Managing Partner, EQUA Specialty Risk
- Course Synopsis: Immediately following a loss incident is not the time to be crafting a response plan. It is critical to develop a plan in advance so as to enable collection of data, conduct interviews, analyze contributing factors such as equipment failure, process failure etc. In this session we will discuss some key elements of an incident investigation:
- Purpose of incident investigations – Why do we conduct them? What happens to the data?
- Triggers for initiating – what are the criteria for triggering an investigation?
- How to determine scope of investigation – How much data will be required, given scale of loss?
- Root cause analysis – Analyze chain of events and causal factors
- Tools for data collection – How to ensure thoroughness
- Use of photographs, CCTV and other digital evidence
- Witness statements – Important element of investigation
The Importance of Wire Ropes: Inspections, Maintenance, and Installations
- Instructor: Ross Muirhead
- Affiliation: General Manager, Inter-Mtn. Testing Ltd.
- Course Synopsis: Inspect and understand how your wire ropes are working for your installation. Properly assess and evaluate different conditions of your wire rope systems. Learn how to read and understand wire rope specification sheets and reference the corresponding discard criteria.
Section 66 of the Canadian Electrical Code
- Instructor: Michael Pilato & Brian Kerr
- Affiliation: Technical Leader, Electrical, Technical Safety BC (Michael Pilato); Senior Safety Officer, Electrical, Technical Safety BC (Brian Kerr)
- Course Synopsis: Inspect and understand how your wire ropes are working for your installation. Properly assess and evaluate different conditions of your wire rope systems. Learn how to read and understand wire rope specification sheets and reference the corresponding discard criteria.
Amusement Ride Bulletins
- Instructor: Robin Santos & John Gehl
- Affiliation: Elevator & Amusement Ride Safety Inspections, Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan
- Course Synopsis: This session will focus on Ride Bulletins as outlined in ASTM F1193-16, section 14. We will dive into the importance of these bulletins, where to obtain copies and how to ensure the most recent version on file. Discussion on implementation, compliance and how the information provided in bulletins is used by local regulators will also be included.
Documentation: Creating the Operations Manual Based on F770
- Instructor: Sonny Silvia & Joelle Javier
- Affiliation: Regional Supervisor, Elevating Devices, Technical Standards & Safety Authority (Sonny Silva); Engineer, Technical Standards & Safety Authority (Joelle Javier)
- Course Synopsis: In this session, we will show how to create your own operations manual based on the requirements of ASTM F770 and based on the manufacturer’s manual. We will also cover additional operations manual documentation required by ride specific standards and other standards referencing F770
What Inspectors Look For, Working with Inspectors, and Removing Bias
- Instructor: Sonny Silvia & Joelle Javier
- Affiliation: Regional Supervisor, Elevating Devices, Technical Standards & Safety Authority (Sonny Silva); Engineer, Technical Standards & Safety Authority (Joelle Javier)
- Course Synopsis: What to expect during an inspection, documents to have ready, access, operation, etc. What is needed to obtain certification, interpreting non-compliances, communication, and documentation. When there are a lot of issues, do you miss the smaller issues? How to prioritize orders or issues. Addressing biases various biases, such as portable/fixed owners, racial, and ride manufacturers to ensure an open perspective is maintained.
Overlapping Jurisdictions
- Instructor: Sonny Silvia & Joelle Javier
- Affiliation: Regional Supervisor, Elevating Devices, Technical Standards & Safety Authority (Sonny Silva); Engineer, Technical Standards & Safety Authority (Joelle Javier)
- Course Synopsis: In this session, we will look at the different jurisdictions that look at different portions of an amusement device and fair or event operations. We will discuss risks of oversight when there are too many cooks in the kitchen.
F2783 requirements and comparisons to other F24 standards
- Instructor: Peter Sorensen
- Affiliation: Senior Safety Officer, Technical Safety BC
- Course Synopsis: This course will provide an overview of how to use the Canadian standard and a review of specific Canadian requirements found in F2783-20 and how they differ from what is found in the corresponding F24 standards.
F2959- Aerial Adventure Course Best Practices
- Instructor: Peter Sorensen
- Affiliation: Senior Safety Officer, Technical Safety BC
- Course Synopsis: This course provides an overview of best practices for the installation and operation of ziplines and how F2959 relates to the installation and operation of those devices.
Hazards While Maintaining and Inspecting Rides
- Instructor: Cam Surine
- Affiliation: Technical Leader, Passenger Ropeways and Amusement Rides, Technical Safety BC
- Course Synopsis: This course will focus hazards that may be encountered during maintenance and inspection and discusses ways to mitigate those hazards.
Fall Protection
- Instructor: Chris Szymiec & Ron Crespo
- Affiliation: Lead Instructor, 3M Safety Training, 3M Company (Chris Szymiec); Fall Protection Specialist, 3M Company (Ron Crespo)
- Course Synopsis: Join 3M as we discuss and showcase 4 key elements for fall safety when working at heights within your industry. We’ll cover key considerations of your fall protection program, sharing relevant knowledge tips, equipment ideas, and demonstration solutions in use. As 3M covers both equipment and training solutions in this session, it is one you don’t want to miss.
ASTM F24 Current Standards
- Instructor: Andreas Tanzer
- Affiliation: Director, Research and Design & Standards, Proslide Technology Inc.
- Course Synopsis: This session will review the current standards presently in force. Do you know all the titles and what they cover? Join us and learn the new titles and what is covered and where. This will not be an in-depth review of any one standard or how the standards are developed but rather an overview of all current F 24 standards.
Basic Fiberglass Maintenance & Repair
- Instructor: Andreas Tanzer
- Affiliation: Director, Research and Design & Standards, Proslide Technology Inc.
- Course Synopsis: This session introduces the attendees to fibreglass, its usage, its applications and how to inspect.
Troubleshooting Control Systems
- Instructor: David Wells
- Affiliation: Auton Engineering
- Course Synopsis: Ensuring safety is of utmost importance when working with control systems. This session will explore the key components of ensuring safety, how to collect necessary information about your ride and some basic troubleshooting guidelines.
Fasteners
- Instructor: David Wells
- Affiliation: Auton Engineering
- Course Synopsis: An overview of the types and importance of fasteners in amusement rides. Good installation practices for fasteners, with a practical example, with an overview of the physics of torquing.
Measurement
- Instructor: David Wells
- Affiliation: Auton Engineering
- Course Synopsis: We are always measuring. How to make the most of the measurements that you make, with neither too much nor too little accuracy. There is an overview of the difference in measuring systems between US and metric, with several examples of measuring errors and a case study of creative measurement
Basic Mechanical
- Instructor: David Wells
- Affiliation: Auton Engineering
- Course Synopsis: This course will provide insight into basics behind mechanics such as converting units between the metric and imperial systems and calculating torque and force on simple machines. We will also explore the use of calculations and estimations and their application in mechanics
NDT Inspections
- Instructor: David Wells
- Affiliation: Auton Engineering
- Course Synopsis: This session will dive into the topic of NDT in the amusement park industry. We will examine the different types of inspections most commonly used on amusement rides and what to expect from your professional NDT inspector. Participants will also explore what to include in the documentation process, from initial findings through to work completed and retesting steps.
Reading Schematics (Controls & Hydraulics)
- Instructor: David Wells
- Affiliation: Auton Engineering
- Course Synopsis: Schematics are a symbolic language. They are used to describe many of the systems in modern rides. A great deal of information is available for the user who can decode the language. An initial look at a schematic may be daunting, but if one works through it in a methodical manner, it will make sense eventually.
Surge Protection
- Instructor: David Wells
- Affiliation: Auton Engineering
- Course Synopsis: An overview of the often-neglected importance of electrical transient protection on your ride or in your facility. This course looks at the different types of transients that you may encounter, the detrimental effects that they have on equipment, and how to reduce these effects.
Reviewing the Lifetime of a Ride Control System
- Instructor: Donnelly Williams
- Affiliation: Business Development Manager, Altec Integrated Solutions
- Course Synopsis: A discussion around the mission time of a ride control system or the lifetime of a ride control system. There are two industry standards ISO 13849-1 and IEC 62061:2005 that both have unique definitions and formulas around the reliability of a control system and the “useful life” of the control system. This session will review these standards & discuss this data, the mission time/useful life of control systems and how after 20 years the components in a control system should be replaced as the component reliability decreases and the failure rate of the parts increases exponentially as components are used beyond their useful life.
Investigating Human Performance / Error
- Instructor: Kathryn Woodcock
- Affiliation: Director, Thrill Laboratory, Ryerson University
- Course Synopsis: Despite the attribution of 80% of rider injuries to human error, most accident investigations record little about the origins of the human performance failure. Different types of error require different types of countermeasures, so this lack of detail hinders prevention. This course reviews error typology and mechanisms of different types of error, goals for minimal investigation and documentation required for injury-producing or near-miss occurrences involving errors or “performance failure”, and tools for consistent collection of information essential for later analysis and prevention planning. Participants will apply tools to example cases for hands-on exploration. Participants will learn: problem with causal conclusions of human error; typology of errors; mechanisms of errors; prevention matched to type of performance failure; essential information to help analysis of individual case and collect useful aggregated information.
Implementing Effective Sun Safety for Outdoor Workers in the Attractions Industry
- Instructor: Thomas Tenkate
- Affiliation: Associate Professor, School of Occupational & Public Health, Ryerson University
- Course Synopsis: Exposure to the sun is recognized as one of the most significant physical risks in the occupational environment. Despite the adverse effects from solar UV exposure being largely preventable, implementing and sustaining effective sun safety programs in the workplace is difficult. Sun Safety at Work Canada was national project that had as its objective the development of a sustainable sun safety program to assist workplaces effectively manage excessive sun exposure of their outdoor workers. This presentation will discuss the key elements in implementing an effective sun safety program for outdoor workers, with a focus on the attractions industry. The sun safety model will be discussed, and the project’s website and extensive range of downloadable resources will be introduced. At the end of the presentation, attendees will have introductory knowledge and resources to implement a comprehensive sun safety program which is tailored to their operations.
Deviation of Practice from Standards & Guidelines
- Instructor: Michael Wrinch
- Affiliation: Founder & CEO, Hedgehog Technologies [PMP, TUV Rheinland, P.Eng.]
- Course Synopsis: The course outlines why deviation from standards, industry best practice guidelines, and local regulation requirements can cause both short term and long term issues. The course outlines a simple process to follow to align with manufacturer recommendations, the appropriate ASTM F24 standards, and local regulations to ensure safety and continued operation of the park.
ASTM Modification of Rides
- Instructor: Michael Wrinch
- Affiliation: Founder & CEO, Hedgehog Technologies [PMP, TUV Rheinland, P.Eng.
- Course Synopsis: Join the ASTM Modification of Rides seminar to discover a high-level view of the process for technicians to be aware of changes that increase the risk of harm or injury in the attractions industry. The ASTM standards provide criteria for designing and modifying amusement rides with safety at the forefront. The recommended audience for this event includes technicians, park owners/operators, and inspectors. Hosted by Dr. Michael Wrinch, the founder of Hedgehog Technologies, the seminar will provide a clear overview of ASTM modification of ride standards with a chance for Q&A and activities at the end.
Welding Certification and Welding Inspection Certification Requirements for Amusement Rides
- Instructor: Cristian Zanfir
- Affiliation: Assistant Manager Standards, Canadian Welding Bureau Group
- Course Synopsis: The purpose of this presentation is to provide the audience with a review of the CAN / CSA Z267 Standard’ requirements with respect to welding and inspection. While in Canada and US welding requirements are driven by the building code, legislation and product standards, welding requirements are different. This presentation will the cover for the welding fabricators / erectors certification requirements, for qualification of welding personnel and welding procedures, and welding inspection certification requirements as specified in the applicable standards.