State helps keep Cedar Point rides safe

Editor's note: Justin Dietz represents a Cedar Point food blog, (CPFoodBlog.com, @CPFoodBlog on Twitter). On Tuesday, he visited Cedar Point to understand how the state agricultural department inspects rides. SANDUSKY — Shortly after Cedar Point closed its gates for the 2016 season, the state's agriculture department began a process to inspect every square inch of each ride.When one thinks about the inspection of roller coasters, they think of the trains themselves. But, in reality, each footing and all of the track needs to be checked to make sure they are at the proper torque and that no cracks appear in the track.As part of Ohio Gov. John Kasich's State of the State address Tuesday in Sandusky, department workers took select groups of the media on a safety tour of Cedar Point roller coaster GateKeeper.David Daniels, the department's director, and his team of eight inspectors were present during the event to go over the process of what it takes to get a roller coaster ready for guests. Inspector Ron Dean lead the majority of the discussion.Once the parks close for the season, the inspectors start the process of going over all of the rides.When the inspectors are on site, it typically takes up to three weeks to inspect all of the ride footings and track on a typical roller coaster.Ohio Department of Agriculture director Nick Daniels leads an inspection tour of Cedar Point's Gatekeeper on April 4, 2017.In the meantime, Cedar Point takes all of the trains back to the maintenance garage to begin the process of taking apart all of the ride components, making any necessary repairs or replacing worn parts, like wheels.The department's inspectors continue their inspections once the trains are back on the track. From there, the inspectors check all of the computer control systems. The computer systems monitor the vehicles and track for safety conditions.Once trains are in operation, the system typically takes anywhere from three to four hours to complete. Water dummies are loaded into the trains, and test runs commence. Once the system is calibrated and up-to-speed, the water dummies are removed, and the trains are tested empty.Ohio Department of Agriculture host a ride inspection tour for Gatekeeper at Cedar Point in Sandusky on April 4, 2017.Weather is the biggest factor that impacts the inspections, as it can be variable along the lakefront.Once the department completes its annual inspection and certification, Cedar Point continues with its daily operation and maintenance reviews to ensure safe operation all year long. The only time the state inspectors return to the park is if a major ride component gets replaced or if there is a safety issue.Do you want to be a ride inspector for the state? Most of the current inspectors worked at the parks at some point to gain experience. They are also members of ARSO, which continues to train inspectors on the latest trends.Hopefully, within the next week, several of the roller coasters will be wrapped up and ready for ride operators to take over the controls.Ride inspectors demonstrate testing the safety harness on the roller coaster Gatekeeper inside Cedar Point on April 4, 2017.Head inspector Ron Dean explains the safety testing and inspection process of preparing Cedar Point's rides such as GateKeeper for the season on Tuesday, April 4, 2017.