Official wants new ride safety rules for Ohio State Fair

COLUMBUS

Ohio’s newly appointed agriculture director says she wants amusement-ride operators to report all ride-related safety concerns to state inspectors.

The Columbus Dispatch reported Director Dorothy Pelanda’s announcement comes after the newspaper learned that Ohio State Fair officials withheld from inspectors a manufacturer’s letter sent in December 2017 warning about corrosion problems with chairs on the fair’s overhead SkyGlider ride.

The ride operated last summer despite the manufacturer’s warning that canopies over the chairs were “starting to fall apart” and should be immediately repaired.

Corrosion problems caused the fair’s Fire Ball ride to fall apart in July 2017, killing an 18-year-old man and injuring six others.

The state fair board recently said it’s seeking to replace all 95 chairs on the half-mile-long SkyGlider before this summer’s fair opens in Columbus.