Fla. Man Dies Working On SC State Fair Ride

A worker doing maintenance on a ride at the South Carolina State Fair was electrocuted Monday.

Roger Thompson, 43, of Brooksville, Florida, was working on the electronics of a ride called "The Rainbow" when he was electrocuted. He was senior ride supervisor and had worked for North American Midway Entertainment and the former company, Conklin Shows, for nearly 26 years.

The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration, state OSHA, is investigating.

"What OSHA looks for is any OSHA violation that may have occurred that contributed in any way to the incident," says Lesia Kudelka, spokesperson for the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, of which OSHA is a part.

Another fair worker was killed in 2008 and OSHA did find violations in that case. On the last day of the fair, a worker was apparently trying to take a measurement for future maintenance on a ride called "The Inverter" when he was crushed by a counterweight as the ride was operating.

OSHA cited North American Midway Entertainment for two violations: failure to furnish a place of employment free of recognized hazards which may cause death or serious physical harm; and failure to provide one or more methods of machine guarding to protect the operator or other employees.

The company was fined $5,000 but that was reduced to $2,000 on appeal.

A recent national report criticized South Carolina for having the lowest fines in the nation for workplace safety violations. Kudelka says, "Often, we can issue a fine to someone, to a company, and we can say, 'We will reduce this fine if you agree to do certain things.' And that allows us to require them to go even beyond what the law allows, as far as worker safety."

Despite the two deaths, Duane Scott, administrator of LLR's Office of Elevators and Amusement Rides, says the rides are safe.

"Because of the inspection process that's in place, because the rides are looked at by several different entities, from the government regulatory agency to the owner of the amusement rides and devices as well as their maintenance personnel, the rides get a thorough check and the public can be confident that the rides are safe," he says.

He says most accidents involving rides are because of human error, not mechanical malfunction. That human error can include riders not following safety rules like staying seated and keeping their arms and hands inside a moving ride.

Gary Goodman, State Fair manager, says there was a memorial service for Thompson Tuesday morning and the fair is providing counseling for employees.

As far as the safety of the rides, he says, "My grandchildren will be here this Saturday. My grandchildren will be riding. That's all I can tell you as far as my faith in those rides."