updated at 1.21PM Tuesday
WorkSafe has confirmed a Ferris wheel at Christchurch’s Illuminate light show is safe to reopen on Thursday after engineers inspected the ride this morning.
A WorkSafe spokesman said: “Two engineers have inspected the ride and advised that the issue was cosmetic and non-structural, so the ride is safe to reopen on Thursday.”
Independent engineer Joe Bain from Motovated engineering said “the safety of the ride was never compromised.”
The inspection followed concerns raised by a Christchurch mother, who said a part fell from the Ferris wheel while her three-year-old child and partner were on board on Sunday afternoon.
“My three-year-old and my partner were on the Ferris wheel, and after two or three spins my partner texted me saying a big bolt had come off,” she told Chris Lynch Media.
“At first I thought he was joking, but then I saw a young guy come over and screw it back in. They didn’t stop the ride, they didn’t call the manager, they were just very chill about it. One of the operators even said, ‘don’t worry, it’s only one of five’, which did not reassure me at all.”
Event Hire operations manager Michael Dewar said the Ferris wheel remained safe to operate and that the issue involved a small cosmetic cover plate.
“We want to reassure the public that our Ferris Wheel remains safe to operate after a small cover plate on one of the drive wheels was seen working loose. Safety remains our top priority, and we take any concern raised seriously,” Dewar said.
He said the loose plate weighed less than 200 grams, was about 5cm in diameter, and was not structural. “It does not affect the operation, structural integrity, or safety of the ride. The part is not part of the structural load path. Our team acted quickly, radioing the issue through and reattaching the cover within minutes.”
Dewar said a Christchurch City Council engineer inspected the ride on Monday morning and confirmed the fix. Additional steps, including the fitting of a spring washer, were taken to ensure the cover remains secure.
He added that the Ferris wheel had recently been reviewed by a certifying engineer, was independently certified every two years, and was approved by WorkSafe and the local council each time it was set up.
