Space Mountain (Disneyland) Closed Out of Safety Concerns
The Anaheim Disneyland Space Mountain ride was closed this weekend after the park received citations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This past Friday OSHA inspectors cited the following rides for safety concerns: Space Mountain, Soarin’ Over California, and Matterhorn Bobsleds.
The following day the park closed all three rides. A spokesperson for Disneyland Resorts issued a statement saying that the rides were closed voluntarily out of concern for both patrons and workers. However, the “voluntary” closings occurred only after being cited by OSHA.
For those wondering if OSHA’s involvement was the result of an employee injury, that assumption is correct. A contract worker at Disneyland was injured on the job while performing maintenance on the exterior of the Space Mountain ride this past November.
In fact, the OSHA citations were not for safety issues alone but as a result of Disneyland’s failure to address “known fall hazards” regarding the exterior of the Space Mountain ride.
Disneyland was also cited by OSHA for failing to replace anchorages and tie backs on Space Mountain with versions which satisfy OSHA standards. The Matterhorn was back in operation within 24 hours of closing, but there is no word when the remaining two rides will reopen.
Source:
Space Mountain closed as Disney reviews safety
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/space-mountain-closed-disney-reviews-safety-215151005.html
