Safety inspector that certified M&D ride before accident banned from further work

Is it common for parks to have their own staff certify rides? Seems like a conflict of interest to me.

The Inspector didn't work for the park. From the article...

"Boswell, of Amusement Inspection Services, issued M&D’s with a DoC – Declaration of Operational Compliance – for the Tsunami on June 10."

Is is safe to say that a lot can change over the course of 16 days? I am not giving this individual a pass, simply asking the question.

Yes, a lot can happen, dependent upon the level of the intensity of the inspection. Was it just a visual inspection? Was any non destructive testing done of the the components of the ride? There can be a lot of "hidden" problems that can be missed if you aren't looking for them. Considering the history of this ride it would have been prudent to dismantle it, NDT every part and then be present when the ride was re assembled, IMHO.

Is it common for parks to have their own staff certify rides? Seems like a conflict of interest to me.

In Pennsylvania rides typically get their state inspections from park employees who have additional state certifications. There are only a few state-employed independent inspectors who presumably can perform surprise inspections or re-certify rides.

I was trying to see if there was any update on this. I found that the park reopened (sans rollercoaster) about a month after the indecent.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14637003.M_D_s_themepark_re_open..._hospital/