ASTM International Committee F24 on Amusement Rides and Devices will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, marking its significant contributions to the global amusement industry. ASTM is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world.
F24 Standards: The Foundation for Safe Fun
Since 1978, ASTM Committee F24 has developed the standards that are the underpinning of safety for amusement rides and attractions around the world. During the past three decades, Committee F24 has contributed a comprehensive range of standards that cover design, manufacturing, maintenance, inspection and operations across traditional amusement rides, specialty rides and attractions, and water-related rides and devices.
F24 standards are also the basis for amusement safety laws and regulations around the world. In the United States for example, 42 of the 50 states have regulations governing amusement rides – with many of these regulations referencing or incorporating F24 standards.
James L. Seay, president, Premier Rides Inc., and 2008 chairman of Committee F24, noted, “Amusement rides and attractions are one of the most popular forms of family entertainment with hundreds of millions of people visiting parks each year. For the global amusement industry, there has always been an unwavering dedication to public safety, forming the basis for its impressive safety record. Guiding and supporting this commitment is ASTM Committee F24, where diverse stakeholders come together to create the safety standards that support industry-wide goals and serve the public interest.”
F24: Global Experts Developing Internationally Accepted Standards
ASTM Committee F24 brings together global amusement industry stakeholders in a best-in-class standards development forum. Today, F24 comprises approximately 500 professionals from 23 countries across North America, South America, Europe and Asia. F24 members include ride designers and manufacturers, engineers, technicians, regulators, inspectors, park owners and operators, consumer advocacy groups and others representing some of the largest names in the global amusement business. These experts participate on one or more of nine standards-writing subcommittees, creating and refining exacting safety standards.
Resulting from the open, harmonized ASTM F24 process is a portfolio of amusement industry safety standards that truly connect to the needs of the global marketplace. Flagship among these is ASTM F 2291, Practice for Design of Amusement Rides and Devices ? the most comprehensive standard for the amusement industry today. F 2291 meets the need for a single, universally accepted design standard for amusement rides worldwide and is the first international standard to define acceleration limits and allowable g-forces. Originally released in 2003, F 2291 continues to undergo ongoing revisions and updates.
Supporting Ride Innovation and Amusement Growth
As new categories of amusement rides have been introduced and grown in popularity, ASTM Committee F24 has kept pace by addressing emerging requirements for standards. In the last several years, new F24 subcommittees have been formed to address growth in areas such as water rides as well as specialty attractions like go-karts, inflatable amusement devices and bumper boats.
A Model of Industry Cooperation
To help to establish worldwide consistency in major areas of ride safety standards, ASTM Committee F24 works in close partnership with other representative organizations of the global amusement industry, such as the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). ASTM F24 and IAAPA bring together representatives from industry and standards bodies from around the world for working discussions and seminars on amusement industry standardization. Look for upcoming events on the ASTM Committee F24 30th anniversary Web site at www.astm.org/F24anniversary.
Release #7884