Less than a week before the scheduled opening day at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas, the state has filed a “notice of violation” this week.
Schlitterbahn Waterpark is scheduled to open at noon this Friday, May 25, and is scheduled to be open for the weekend. The Kansas Department of Labor released an audit report this week, with several violations noted.
A park spokeswoman stated that Schlitterbahn is addressing the bulk of the issues in the audit, which concern record-keeping and documentation, and that it is challenging the accuracy of some of the findings. No issues were found with the mechanical functioning of the rides, the spokeswoman emphasized.
Schlitterbahn has a commitment to the highest standards of safety, the spokeswoman stated.
The daily and annual inspection reports for each ride need to be made available to the state auditors, the audit report stated. The audit also asked for training documentation, testing results, and manufacturer’s manuals, among other items.
The waterpark’s Verruckt waterslide, now closed, was the site of a fatal accident in August 2016, and a case involving charges stemming from that fatality is currently in the district court.
Recently enacted laws are coming into play in this case. The state’s document noted that a law went into effect within the past year that authorizes the inspection.
The notice was filed after the waterpark was inspected May 16 and 17, according to the state’s document, which is on file at the Kansas Department of Labor’s website, https://www.dol.ks.gov/Safety/park.aspx.
Many of the audit findings involved paperwork, administrative items and documents needed concerning the rides, such as manuals not available at the time of inspection.
One audit finding stated that the zipline at the waterpark was entering its sixth operating season, and some parts should be replaced every five years or 150,000 cycles, according to the audit. That should be addressed and documents should be made available to the auditors, the audit report stated.
The audit also cited two rides, the zipline and Storm Blaster, as missing height measurement devices at the entrance.
Schlitterbahn released a statement:
“Before opening to the public, Schlitterbahn is addressing the bulk of the administrative, record keeping, and documentation issues noted in the KDOL report and is challenging the accuracy of the report in several important respects. The fact is the KDOL did not follow its own statutory requirements by publishing a list of misleading and false information concerning a park that was not yet open to the public and was not yet ready for operation. Our commitment to safety remains our highest priority. The report found no issues with the mechanical function of our rides. Later this week Schlitterbahn will file a letter with the KDOL challenging the details of the report and we look forward to sharing those details publicly at that time.”