Parks shut carousels during accident probe

SOME of Queensland’s biggest theme parks have closed their carousel rides as a Workplace Health and Safety investigation continues into the cause of this week’s Movie World accident which left a 12-year-old boy in hospital.

The boy sustained a deep gash, stretching virtually from ear to ear, after hitting his head on the ceiling of the Looney Tunes Carousel on Tuesday.

He was rushed to hospital, where he was recovering in a stable condition.

It is understood the boy was not seated at the time, but the exact circumstances of the accident are now under investigation.

As part of the probe, WHSQ inspectors have visited the Gold Coast’s Sea World and Dreamworld, and Aussie World on the Sunshine Coast, which also operate carousel rides.

In a statement, a spokesman for WHSQ confirmed inspectors had visited other parks “to determine if similar risks are present on their carousel rides”.

“All parks are working cooperatively with WHSQ,” the statement said.

“As our investigation into the incident at Movie World is ongoing it is not appropriate to make any further comments at this stage in relation to the outcome or any findings.”

In addition to theme parks, carousels are often staples of the carnival circuit, but Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said there was no directive or mandate for carousels to be shut down across the state.

“The safety at Queensland’s theme parks and on amusement rides is a priority for the Palaszczuk government,” she said.

“My thoughts and best wishes are with the young boy and his family at this time.”

Village Roadshow, which operates both Movie World and Sea World, welcomed the move by WHSQ.

“The safety and wellbeing of guests and team members is our top priority at Village Roadshow Theme Parks and we are committed to providing guests with a fun and safe environment,” the statement said.

“We have always worked in close partnership and co-operation with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, and have a culture of the highest safety standards and continuous improvement with-in our business.”

WE HAVE ALWAYS WORKED IN CLOSE PARTNERSHIP AND COOPERATION WITH WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY QUEENSLAND VILLAGE ROADSHOW STATEMENT