Roller coasters must be locked out

Does lockout/tagout apply to roller coasters? Yes, when you consider that a groundskeeper was killed when he was hit by a roller coaster that hadn’t been locked out before he began working.

Wilfredo Martinez, a 23-year-old groundskeeper, was killed at Lake Compounce, a Connecticut amusement park, in 2001, when the Boulder Dash roller coaster was on a test run. Employees frequently use padlocks to lock out the roller coaster when they are
working in the area, but groundskeepers don’t have them.

Jack Silar, an investigator for MAH Consulting, who was doing a safety inspection for Lake Compounce, said groundskeepers should have access to lockout devices “if they’re going to be in a restricted area.” A restricted area is anyplace where a person would be in danger if the ride was operating.

OSHA fined Lake Compounce $14,500 for numerous violations after the accident, stating that it “did not establish, develop and implement an energy control program for equipment, including the Boulder Dash, where unexpectedly starting equipment could cause severe injury to groundskeepers.” It also said the park did not provide sufficient training for groundskeepers working around rides.

A Lake Compounce spokesman said groundskeepers were given padlocks to lockout the roller coaster immediately after the accident occurred.