The three-day weekend is coming and I bet any number of you will spend a day (or more) at an amusement park! Of course, passenger safety is a top concern but one that you won’t have to think about since there’s strong standardization in this area. And the new ISO/TS 17929, “Biomechanical effects on amusement ride passengers,” is providing additional support — specifically addressing the biomechanical effects that makes those rides so much fun!
Indeed, it’s the emphasis on biomechnical effects that makes amusement rides so different than other types of conveyances. But hey, this means that when you get on one of these rides, you’re subject to inertia forces — and sometimes those forces can result in risks. So the ride designers will need to consider and minimize the risks and maximize the fun.
After the usual scope, definitions, and referenced document sections, the ISO/TS 17929 specification focuses in on 4 areas for design consideration:
- Potential biomechanical risks
- Elimination or reduction of those risks
- Effects of accelerations on passengers
- Zones where potential risk occurs, including unscheduled braking and so on
Four informative annexes cover body dimensions to be used during motion risk analysis, recommended acceleration limits, hazards for passengers being held up-side-down, and the use of warning signs to advise passengers, including state of health considerations.
This document will eventually work in tandem with a proposed ISO 17842 series on the safety of amusement rides and amusement devices. It’s intended to have a number of parts, but there’s no scheduled dates or further information on the development of this series of documents.
If you’re in the amusement rides business, you’ll want to review this specification for use in future development. You can get your copy by order it in paper format or for pdf download from the Document Center webstore at www.document-center.com. Or contact our staff by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).
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