It is authorized to investigate accidents and work with manufacturers to correct defects or hazards, but only on traveling carnival rides. Rides operated at amusement parks and water parks are exempt from federal safety oversight","(Injury Statistics. On Line Article, www.IAAPA.org).
"State and local governments are responsible for establishing safety audit/inspection programs for the amusement rides that operate within their jurisdiction. Since federal safety officials are not allowed to address safety problems on permanent park rides, each state/local government must also bear the full burden of safety oversight for its amusement park rides. This includes data collection and trend analysis, technical investigation of serious accidents and negotiating mitigation of manufacturing defects,"(ASTM Standards, Article On Line, www.IAAPA.org).
Safer Parks website stated that " rides at Florida's theme parks (Disney World, Universal Orlando, Busch Gardens) are exempt from state ride inspection and accident investigation regulations " (What about Disney?, Article On Line, www.saferparks.org).
I also found that "state government requires ride owner/operators to purchase liability insurance and/or submit paperwork certifying that rides meet industry standards and applicable state regulations. Inspection requirements vary. Some states rely on the park or carnival's insurance company to send out inspectors. Some states allow ride owners to choose their own inspectors, either from in-house personnel or 3rd party subcontractors. Accidents are generally handled privately by the ride owner, although police or state investigators may be called out to investigate fatalities or major accidents in some states,"(State Regulations, On Line Article, www.saferparks.org).
And that in 1984, and again in 2000, Congress held hearings to reassess the wisdom of the loophole deregulating theme park thrill rides. In both cases, the hearings were triggered by a spike in the number of publicized fatalities on permanent amusement rides.