- June 28th, 2007, 10:42 pm
#21252
Alright folks, community members, Carowinds fans, whatever you may call yourselves, where were we on this one?
We are ones to criticize the park when we need to, but we also need to be the ones to support the park when they go above and beyond as they have throughout the past week despite the absence of professionalism from the NC Department of Labor.
I'm very disappointed with the NC Department of Labor on how they handled this incident. It appears they wanted to do a bit of "grandstanding" and make themselves be known, while allowing our park to be the bad guys.
Take the quote in the article by WSOC posted on 6/22:
"Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to send two inspectors Friday morning to see if the rides at Carowinds met 100 percent of our (who is "our"?) manufacturers' specifications," said Jonathan Brooks, NCDOL Elevator and Amusement Device bureau chief. "We found that one set of cables was deteriorating from the inside out, so we condemned it and shut it down (it already was shut down by Cedar Fair.) "Brooks said NCDOL inspectors had inspected the same ride in March and found no problems at the time. "There was nothing that we found that represented a real threat to rider safety, but we just wanted to be absolutely sure that the public was safe," Brooks said. "Under North Carolina law, amusement rides in our state have to be 100 percent within manufacturers' specifications. We believe it represents a great safeguard for the public, and that's why we shut the ride down."
Has anyone ever been to the NC State Fair? Mr. Brooks, I'd love to take you around the fair and point out the violations I know would shut a ride down at Carowinds, but are some how permitted at a place with NCDOL inspectors on-site at all times.
Just 5 days later, this article can be found in the Charlotte observer:
Inspectors initially told media outlets that the cable was frayed, a claim that Brooks later said was inaccurate. "You have the strands of the cable start rubbing together and they create a rust," which causes the thinning, he said. "The cable wasn't frayed where, you know, the piano's hanging above the guy and it's about to fall and there's one strand holding it up."
There's a legal term for this, it's called defamation. Though our park has higher standards than to take legal action for this incident, I wish they would at least demand a higher level of professionalism from a organization who is supposed to set the standard in the state. Not to mention that you pay his salary.
So here I am, and maybe the only one, to say... Thanks Carowinds. I KNOW Carowinds puts safety first. Their business depends on it. I also know that the ride maintenance crews are ten times more knowledgeable than any of the elevator inspectors that pretend like they know how amusement rides work. I also know that this isn't the first rather unreasonable demand the NCDOL has made to the park. Carowinds always has, and I trust will continue, to ensure the rides are safe, and operating under the most stringent specifications.
Also thanks for going ahead and just replacing that cable- the most professional way to shrug off NCDOL's poor judgment, and unprofessionalism.
We are ones to criticize the park when we need to, but we also need to be the ones to support the park when they go above and beyond as they have throughout the past week despite the absence of professionalism from the NC Department of Labor.
I'm very disappointed with the NC Department of Labor on how they handled this incident. It appears they wanted to do a bit of "grandstanding" and make themselves be known, while allowing our park to be the bad guys.
Take the quote in the article by WSOC posted on 6/22:
"Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to send two inspectors Friday morning to see if the rides at Carowinds met 100 percent of our (who is "our"?) manufacturers' specifications," said Jonathan Brooks, NCDOL Elevator and Amusement Device bureau chief. "We found that one set of cables was deteriorating from the inside out, so we condemned it and shut it down (it already was shut down by Cedar Fair.) "Brooks said NCDOL inspectors had inspected the same ride in March and found no problems at the time. "There was nothing that we found that represented a real threat to rider safety, but we just wanted to be absolutely sure that the public was safe," Brooks said. "Under North Carolina law, amusement rides in our state have to be 100 percent within manufacturers' specifications. We believe it represents a great safeguard for the public, and that's why we shut the ride down."
Has anyone ever been to the NC State Fair? Mr. Brooks, I'd love to take you around the fair and point out the violations I know would shut a ride down at Carowinds, but are some how permitted at a place with NCDOL inspectors on-site at all times.
Just 5 days later, this article can be found in the Charlotte observer:
Inspectors initially told media outlets that the cable was frayed, a claim that Brooks later said was inaccurate. "You have the strands of the cable start rubbing together and they create a rust," which causes the thinning, he said. "The cable wasn't frayed where, you know, the piano's hanging above the guy and it's about to fall and there's one strand holding it up."
There's a legal term for this, it's called defamation. Though our park has higher standards than to take legal action for this incident, I wish they would at least demand a higher level of professionalism from a organization who is supposed to set the standard in the state. Not to mention that you pay his salary.
So here I am, and maybe the only one, to say... Thanks Carowinds. I KNOW Carowinds puts safety first. Their business depends on it. I also know that the ride maintenance crews are ten times more knowledgeable than any of the elevator inspectors that pretend like they know how amusement rides work. I also know that this isn't the first rather unreasonable demand the NCDOL has made to the park. Carowinds always has, and I trust will continue, to ensure the rides are safe, and operating under the most stringent specifications.
Also thanks for going ahead and just replacing that cable- the most professional way to shrug off NCDOL's poor judgment, and unprofessionalism.
