28 Children Injured In Siam Park Water Slide Accident

[Journalist]

I went two weeks ago. I hope it wasn't my tonnage that caused it to give way.

My wife and I remarked how the park wasn't well maintained - that was while we were sitting at a concrete picnic table that had a jagged iron spike sticking out of it.

[thaigene2]

Here is some info from IAAPA files ( IAAPA.com ) which goes to shows that the number of injuries happening in Thailand are far too many. Thailand does not have a fraction of the rides that America has.

In 2005, more than 300 million guests visited U.S. amusement facilities and safely enjoyed 1.8 billion rides. The most recent Fixed-site Amusement Ride Injury Survey highlights that an estimated 1,713 ride related injuries occurred in 2005 with a low average of four fatalities a year going back to 1987. Only 132 of the injuries in 2005 were reported as “serious”, meaning that they required some form of overnight treatment at a hospital; this comprised roughly 7 percent of all ride injuries.

I can hear it now " Thailand is not America " , "Go back to America " etc etc.... The point is that Amusement rides in general are not safe in Thailand. Same like the crime, the roads etc... IT IS WHAT IT IS ! It bugs me when some people on TV try to hide the fact and thus people let their guard down and end up having problems. Tell it like it really is. This is a site for facts not fiction.

I for one am not asking anyone here to "Go back to America" or whatever country it is, rather saying no need to get overly upset about these things. Let's say the thais in this respect(safety standards) are toddlers and westerners are grown adults, would you get upset when they tumble whilst learning to walk and start comparing them with adults? I guess most are just going to sit back and watch how they progress?

However tragic those incidents are, we have to accept that this is the world we are living in and it is indeed evolving in different paces. I would also like to point out that, imho, I think these are part of the things that has made you people find living in a third world country interesting.

No way do I buy that - sorry meemiathai.

I'm happy to keep partying though

The truth is that a lot of these business people pretend to care when it suits them - like today. It's just like Thaksin used to do - complete crap (and remember, I defend the right of Thais to elect PPP!)

These are the same businesspeople who've come here from anothe country, tried to pretend to blend in, via their parents or grandparents and also pretend to wrap themselevs in the local religion. It's all about making money to them - to suck you in. They don't maintain things cause they don't give a shit - they have no pride or respect in what they offer the public (not saying everyone in the West does - but much more than here!) and could care even less about you or your kids. If things get tough they know who to pay off.

Edited January 14, 2008 by thaigene2

[ttthailand]

Well, where's the link,

http://www.rideaccidents.com/

You are also wrong about people not saying anything about Western failure. If there is a failure in safety standards, then people will say speak out, as they are doing now in Congress to strengthen enforcements with federal oversight.

ut oh, somebody better tell the various industry lobbyists then, because they say self regulation is better, Sort of odd though that Ralph Nader raised the issue decades ago and no one did anything. Maybe they are under the influence of Thailand.........

I have looked over the info at rideaccidents.com and it shows basically what IAAPA info shows. The number of accidents in a country like America when compaired to the number of riders is very low compaired to Thailand. However I am just guessing at the rider numbers from Thailand. I do however know this business rather well and can tell you that there are major problems here. This is fact ! I have lived in Thailand for over 13 years. Anyone in the industry who knows anything about rides and who would do a walk through of a park in Thailand could point out hundreds of problems that you would not see in western country. This is not to say that there are not problems in western counties also.

These rides can have problems but if maintenance is done correctly, replacement parts are correct and rides are shut down when problems are detected there will be less problems thus less accidents. The mindset here is run it until it breaks and keep the expenses down and profits up. Western Engineers are not used as the expense is higher then local engineers. The problem is the local engineers don't know enough about the equipment. Another problem is that local engineers try to please the management so they make decisions based fully on costs. Many replacement parts are also made locally with what ever material is available, Steel does rust...

Also, look at some of these traveling shows around the country, unbelieveable. How many accidents do they have that are never reported ? Talk about rust...

People can defend Thailand all they want but the bottom line is that safety is not a major concern until something happens.

Question: Why would this type of business be managed different that any other Thai business ?

[sriracha john]

EDITORIAL

Siam Park case a matter of safety

Public must not be distracted by land sale when answers and compensation are due victims of lax standards

If Siam Park's own history is anything to go by, the chances of another accident happening there soon - like the one in which 28 children were hurt last weekend - are greater than the possibility of the controversial amusement-park complex being sold to a new owner. The expressed wish of apparently depressed park president Chaiwat Leungamornphan to sell the 26-year-old facility for 5 Billion Baht has stirred up some sympathy for its heavily criticised management, but it has diverted attention from the real issue - accountability and the responsibilities of present and future investors in amusement parks. The usual public outrage in the wake of such an incident was limited this time, with reporters scurrying to interview potential buyers and park employees.

Chaiwat must have been disheartened by this latest accident, the collapse of a water slide that injured 28 kids on Children's Day. What we cannot get, though, is how that could have happened just three months after the tragic death of a female visitor to the same park. On another public holiday last October, Patchadaporn Kongkarian was on the "Indiana Log Ride" when a sudden drop in power caused the water-pumping mechanism to fail, sending her boat plunging at a higher speed and crashing into the "log" ahead of it.

Her death prompted similar responses, reactions and excuses, explicit or covert. Expressing their regret, park officials promised enhanced awareness and, while insisting standardised safety measures were already in place, they pledged to improve them. Little was said about another accident five years ago, when a Japanese tourist was injured on the same ride at the same park. It was unclear what caused Tomomitsu Kitagava, 32, to suffer back injuries to the extent that he could not move or get out of the ride by himself, but the Patchadaporn tragedy apparently had not served as a big alarm for the park management.

Should Chaiwat sell his park? The above record speaks for itself and it should provide the appropriate answer. The question is how serious he really is about selling it. Another question has to do with what motivated him to come out and make the announcement. Was it regret? Or was it a desperate man talking, who was staring at potentially staggering compensation suits or even legal action?

Other questions have been asked. Will he still sell the park for a profit, knowing that going on by himself might result in lives continuing to be endangered? How has the park, which values itself at 5 Billion Baht, compensated accident victims, past and present? Who has actually performed inspection and maintenance checks at the park? How often have they done it? Why were children allowed to play on the water slides in big groups? Wasn't that a violation of some basic safety rule?

Last but not least, what will he do if he can't sell the park? Will he continue to operate it the same old way - expressing sadness one day and adopting a business-as-usual approach the next? Has he come to accept that his financial situation and the way the park has been managed are the main factors behind these accidents?

Chaiwat is known to have been struggling financially while running the park. That is anything but a solid excuse. While his apparently unwavering intention to offer a source of fun to children and adults alike is laudable, he operates a facility where safety can't be compromised to suit financial circumstances. In other businesses, a person can say he has done his best and would only have to say sorry when his best isn't good enough. As for amusement parks, when one's best isn't good enough, it often ends in tragedy.

Park employees expressed sympathy with Chaiwat and confirmed he had been fighting hard to keep the facility open. There have also reportedly been some phone calls to give him moral support and urge him not to sell. The media, meanwhile, have been rather lenient following the dramatic press conference after the latest accident. As expected, the emotional announcement has blurred the real issue - which is about safety at amusement parks, not about keeping a place where children can play for the price of admission.

Chaiwat may harbour good intentions. Yet somehow, his apparent determination to make people happy has led to a few ironic results. Good intentions are not enough when what one offers are thrilling rides that rely on every nut and screw to be in place or the opposite of happiness will be the result.

- The Nation Editorial

=============================

[Journalist]

The moral of this story is then "If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"

[getithere328]

The moral of this story is then "If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"

Hi all....just came across this forum and this waterslide accident story. I have over 25 years experience in the manufacture, installation, inspection and repair of waterslides. I am also a regular visitor to Thailand. This type of accident could have happened anywhere in the world and judging by the photos posted here of the fractured g.r.p ride section there may have been little or no outward signs that the slide could split open at any time. Yes, regular inspection may have picked this up and prevented what happened, however, the person carrying out the inspection would have to be extremely diligent. Generally speaking, if this same slide had been in the UK and inspected daily prior to use by a life guard (as is standard) would they have spotted a hair line crack that was about to turn into a major fracture? 99 times out of 100...no they would not!!

I have seen slides that have just 'opened up' like this one. So what causes it? Well there are many factors that contribute to this, one of the main ones is manufacture quality (slide not made in Thailand I hear), a well engineered slide will withstand the stresses and strains that all waterslides are subjected to. This slide has fractured on the ride path (left hand bend, people ride on the right). The number of people on the slide at any one time will also make a difference. But again if the slide is manufactured to a high specification the chances of this type of accident occurring is minimal. Installation quality is also very important along with regular maintenance and inspection.

Ah maintenance and inspection I hear you say, thats were the Thai people fall short.....well when it comes to waterslides so do we. I have seen waterslides that are 'inspected' daily prior to use with fractures that you can see straight through. Stair cases that are so rusty with one wrong move you would slice your foot open and this is all in our health & safety, risk assessment, safe operation & blame society. I recall speaking to a life guard who had just finished a slide inspection and on exiting the slide I ask her what she was looking for in her inspection " I have no idea" came the reply. This is not uncommon right here in the UK.

I appreciate that this forum has talked about safety generally in Thailand has lots of room for improvement but when it comes to waterslides you dont have to look further than the UK to find low standards.

[brahmburgers]

The moral of this story is then "If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"

Hi all....just came across this forum and this waterslide accident story. I have over 25 years experience in the manufacture, installation, inspection and repair of waterslides. I am also a regular visitor to Thailand. This type of accident could have happened anywhere in the world and judging by the photos posted here of the fractured g.r.p ride section there may have been little or no outward signs that the slide could split open at any time. Yes, regular inspection may have picked this up and prevented what happened, however, the person carrying out the inspection would have to be extremely diligent. Generally speaking, if this same slide had been in the UK and inspected daily prior to use by a life guard (as is standard) would they have spotted a hair line crack that was about to turn into a major fracture? 99 times out of 100...no they would not!!

I have seen slides that have just 'opened up' like this one. So what causes it? Well there are many factors that contribute to this, one of the main ones is manufacture quality (slide not made in Thailand I hear), a well engineered slide will withstand the stresses and strains that all waterslides are subjected to. This slide has fractured on the ride path (left hand bend, people ride on the right). The number of people on the slide at any one time will also make a difference. But again if the slide is manufactured to a high specification the chances of this type of accident occurring is minimal. Installation quality is also very important along with regular maintenance and inspection.

Ah maintenance and inspection I hear you say, thats were the Thai people fall short.....well when it comes to waterslides so do we. I have seen waterslides that are 'inspected' daily prior to use with fractures that you can see straight through. Stair cases that are so rusty with one wrong move you would slice your foot open and this is all in our health & safety, risk assessment, safe operation & blame society. I recall speaking to a life guard who had just finished a slide inspection and on exiting the slide I ask her what she was looking for in her inspection " I have no idea" came the reply. This is not uncommon right here in the UK.

I appreciate that this forum has talked about safety generally in Thailand has lots of room for improvement but when it comes to waterslides you dont have to look further than the UK to find low standards.

\

interesting post - particularly as it's from someone with hands-on authority on the subject - and someone who's not so quick to blame Thais for things that go wrong here (as I do sometimes).

What can be done to improve the over-all scenario? .....try to get those who are involved with such things - more aware of potential pitfalls. More specifically: people who are in charge of recreational facilities should be trained and apprised of the responsibilities involved - particularly if there are kids involved. This can apply to school facilities as well as recreational facilities in parks - and beyond.

Example: there's a parking spot in my Thai town, in front of a nursing school, with a 2.5 meter straight-down slope to a ditch, with nothing guarding the drop-off place - not even a board or a piece of concrete. If I were doing inspections of safety hazards, I could find many things - most of which would be cheap to fix. However, when pointing out such safety lapses to Thais, the standard response is, "mai pen rai" along with a grin and shrug of the shoulders. (oops, there I go again, blaming Thai folks).

also; the date of 'Journalist's' post reads 2008-01-21. shouldn't it actually read 2008-10-21 ?

[dumball]

Other dilapidated joints waiting for their turn to give way...

Manager online

Thanks for the photos. Pretty clear the thing is starting to rust apart and hasn't been maintained. That ought to shut up the appologists for a while (or maybe not). Be interesting to see if they'll actually take it apart and fix it - or just use the 15 days to paint over the rust.

What's with the paint thing ? Have you not been told today ? DUCT TAPE fixes EVRYTHING .

[Briggsy]

I know it's over a year since this accident.

It is interesting to note there has been nothing in the press about the owner being charged by the police. Neither has there been anything about the owner following through on his promise to sell the park.

[Old Man River]

I know it's over a year since this accident.

It is interesting to note there has been nothing in the press about the owner being charged by the police. Neither has there been anything about the owner following through on his promise to sell the park.

I remember reading that the owner tried to sell it, but couldn't find anyone to buy it (at the price he thought it was worth). I haven't seen anything else on this.

[sriracha john]

I know it's over a year since this accident.

Anybody been there recently?

Is it still another incident (I'll avoid the use of "accident" as I don't consider last's year incident as an accident) waiting to happen or have things been fixed?

[Old Man River]

I know it's over a year since this accident.

Anybody been there recently?

Is it still another incident (I'll avoid the use of "accident" as I don't consider last's year incident as an accident) waiting to happen or have things been fixed?

Everyone I know who has kids (including myself) has made this venue a no go. Best to avoid this place. There have been no indications in the press that the owner has gone on an upgrade spree. If he had, he would have publicized it to the hilt, instead it appears he thinks no news is good news. Maybe for him, but not for us.

Until I hear differently, Dream World and Safari Park will be the amusement parks locally that I will take my kid to.