Easter Show boss responds to slingshot ride scare, confirms ride won’t shut

The Royal Easter Show has defended its ride safety protocols after video showed a child’s seatbelt coming loose on the slingshot ride.

A seatbelt appearing to unclip mid-air on a popular Easter Show ride has sparked a swift response from organisers, who insist the ride is safe.

The shocking footage appears to show the buckle on the lap seatbelt unclipping as the popular slingshot ride, known for its high-speed launch, sending riders soaring into the air.

Speaking on Today on Friday morning, Shane McGrath, the Easter Show’s head of operations, said he was “really disappointed” by the footage and had taken immediate corrective action.

“I just want to assure you that the child at no point was in any sort of danger,” Mr McGrath said.

“This is a class five device that operates with three independent locking mechanisms to guarantee safety. The over-the-shoulder restraint was in place, and that ride won’t operate without that restraint.”

He explained the ride also includes a secondary lap bar and an additional seat belt, the one that appears to have failed in the footage.

“We’ve seen a failure in the third seat belt, unfortunately,” he said.

Video appears to show seatbelt coming undone on Sydney Easter Show ride. Picture: 9News

Mr McGrath said the child’s mother had been contacted, and both SafeWork NSW and the Show’s carnival safety consultants were notified immediately to investigate the device.

“They’re comfortable with the action that we’ve taken,” he said.

“We take our obligations with regards to amusement ride safety extremely seriously and we go well beyond legislative requirements.”

“All our amusement rides are inspected by an engineer before they operate at the Sydney Royal Easter Show,” he added.

“We engage a carnival safety team that applies a systematic inspection regime, and we also engage an international ride training company to ensure our ride operators are operating the best they can.”

He confirmed the slingshot ride would continue to operate across the weekend.

“It’s been running successfully for the past four or five days. This incident occurred on the weekend. We are supremely confident in this device. It has been operating at the Sydney Royal Easter Show for many decades now.”

Shane McGrath, the Easter Show’s head of operations, confirmed the slingshot ride would continue to operate across the weekend Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

SafeWork NSW confirmed they were aware of the incident that occurred over the weekend, and said no one was injured.

“SafeWork NSW is working with the Royal Agricultural Society and continuing to make inquiries,” a spokesperson for SafeWork NSW said in a statement to NewsWire.

“SafeWork NSW is working closely with the Sydney Royal Easter Show event organisers to ensure the safety of more than 800,000 expected visitors, with inspectors and engineers conducting thorough inspections and enforcing strict safety compliance.

“This Easter, SafeWork NSW has issued 23 notices to protect families and workers by addressing safety risks to ensure all rides, stalls, and activities meet strict safety standards.”

Easter show organisers, The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, said other safety mechanisms protect riders.

“We are aware of an incident involving a seat belt on the slingshot ride in the main carnival,” a spokesperson said.

“The slingshot is equipped with multiple safety mechanisms to ensure rider safety, with the over-shoulder harness and lap belt being the primary safety restraints, the additional seat belt that clips into the ride acts as an additional redundancy.

“The show’s carnival safety consultant has inspected the ride, the seat belt has been repaired and all safety procedures have been reviewed and reinforced with the operator.”

Originally published as Easter Show boss responds to slingshot ride scare, confirms ride won’t shut