Crews are assembling, testing and inspecting around 70 amusement rides before the Ohio State Fair opens Wednesday, July 29, a pre-opening push that puts ride safety at the center of the fair before the first fairgoer arrives.
Ron Dean, who leads the ride safety division at the Ohio Department of Agriculture, said the work is not a single check but a sequence. Inspectors start with a static inspection during set-up, then move through multiple checks before running rides and testing safety features. Larger rides, including ferris wheels and rollercoasters, take longer because of their size and complexity, and inspectors climb towers with fall arrest gear to check connection points and confirm everything is assembled properly.
That added work reflects how much has changed since Tyler's Law took effect in Ohio in 2019 after the 2017 death of an 18-year-old who was thrown from the fire ball ride at the Ohio State Fair after a malfunction. Dean said one of the biggest lessons from that fatality was a closer review of fatigue and corrosion, and larger rides now require at least two inspectors, a safeguard meant to add another set of eyes where the stakes are highest.
Talley amusement rides is providing the entertainment and attractions for the fair, and Taylor Talley said operators are trained every season before they take responsibility for a specific ride. Talley said many workers have been with the company for years, which matters when a crew has to know the details of a ride well enough to assemble it, inspect it and then keep it running safely once the fair opens.
Inspectors and operators will remain on site throughout the fair, which means the work does not stop when the gates open. The unanswered question is not whether the rides will be watched; it is which of them will still be standing, ready and cleared when the Ohio State Fair starts and the crowds move in.
