ASTM F3598-25

1.1 This practice establishes requirements and guidance for conducting or contributing to risk assessment for amusement rides and devices by specifying basic terminology, principles and methodology. Risk assessment as discussed in this practice refers to the risk assessment process, including risk reduction, as described in Section 5.

1.2 This practice is applicable to all amusement rides and devices within the scope of ASTM Committee F24.

1.3 This practice is limited to risk of harm to persons resulting from interaction with amusement rides and devices.

1.4 This practice is applicable to risks associated with the operation and use of amusement rides and devices. The operation and use phase begins once the amusement ride or device is first placed into service and ends once it is permanently taken out of service. This phase includes all uses of the amusement ride or device, such as operation, evacuation, and maintenance activities. This phase also includes routine assembly, disassembly, and transportation of portable amusement rides and devices. This practice does not address hazards for other lifecycle phases such as manufacturing, construction, installation, commissioning and de-commissioning.

1.5 This practice excludes requirements related to business risks such as operational availability, cost of repair and return on investment.

1.6 This standard practice includes an appendix (non-mandatory), which provides additional information, for example, rationale, background, interpretations, drawings, commentary, and so forth, to improve the reader’s understanding and application of the criteria presented in this practice. The appendix information shall not be interpreted as mandatory criteria.

1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.8 This practice offers a set of instructions for performing one or more specific operations. This document cannot replace education or experience and needs to be used in conjunction with professional judgment. Not all aspects of this practice are necessarily applicable in all circumstances. This ASTM standard is not intended to represent or replace the standard of care by which the adequacy of a given professional service must be judged. This document is not to be applied without consideration of a project’s many unique aspects. The word “Standard” in the title means only that the document has been approved through the ASTM consensus process.

1.9 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

4.1 This practice provides guidance for estimating, evaluating, reducing, and documenting risks associated with personnel and the general public (herein referred to collectively as “persons”) interacting with an amusement ride or device. This practice is generally aligned with the risk assessment process of ISO 12100 and ANSI B11.0, but addresses the unique uses and circumstances related to amusement rides and devices.

4.2 This practice is complementary to other ASTM F24 standards. Requirements of these other standards can be applied as risk reduction measures within the risk assessment process. Risk assessments generate specific requirements for the design, manufacture and operation of a specific amusement ride or device, as it is intended to be used. Typically, this generates additional or more stringent requirements than the prescriptive requirements found in other applicable codes and standards for amusement rides and devices. Risk assessments are particularly important for amusement rides and devices that have design elements, features or uses that were not considered when the prescriptive requirements were created.

4.3 A portable amusement ride or device does not require a location-specific risk assessment as long as a risk assessment covers environments and conditions in which the amusement ride or device is intended to be installed and operated.