When safety requirements are neglected, mishaps can turn into disasters. Amusement parks have been marked places of controversy ever since reports of shocking accidents have spread among common public. Four years ago, three girls were killed and four seriously injured with multiple fractures when a cart collapsed from a suspension train eight meters above the ground at Al-Khobar Amusement Park. Last year, a seven-year-old boy fell off a water train right into a steel fence in Jeddah's amusement park. His classmates were crying and shouting as they saw their friend's dead body entangled inside the fence. In Madina, three brothers sustained serious injuries due to an ill-maintained machine. In Taif, two girls fainted after falling off from a ride at an amusement park there five years ago. Painful accidents happen at amusement parks sometimes due to negligence of safety requirements. First-aid teams or paramedics are usually not present in such parks to treat emergency cases. To make matters worse, some machines at these parks are quite old and not fit for use. Citizens and residents are, therefore, calling on concerned authorities to intensify inspection tours of amusement parks and ensure their compliance with safety requirements. Moreover, they said amusement parks should have more medical clinics and paramedics during holidays such as Eid Al-Fitr. The amusement parks should sign maintenance contracts with specialized companies to regularly service their machines and equipment, residents feel. Sami Al-Hukair, an investor in the amusement parks sector, said parks not complying with safety requirements negatively affect those who comply with the necessary regulations. “Before opening an amusement park, the owner must check if all safety and security requirements have been met. Besides, the Civil Defense only issues a license to an amusement park when the requirements have been satisfied,” Al-Hukair said. “The life expectancy of most machines is 15-20 years. Saudi Customs don't allow any old machines to enter the Kingdom,” he added. __
