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Kansas Department of Labor has one inspection record on file for Schlitterbahn

Posted at 5:53 PM, Aug 09, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-10 10:04:03-04

The Kansas Department of Labor has one inspection record on file for Schlitterbahn Water Park.

After a 10-year-old boy died on the world's tallest water slide at the park, few questions have been answered in regard to how the state protects visitors of amusement parks.

KDOL oversees the parks. While KDOL is not required to do inspections, it does have the option of conducting random inspections.

The 41 Action News investigators spent two days trying to reach someone with KDOL to find out how often the agency inspects Schlitterbahn, if at all.

On Tuesday, the investigators drove to Topeka for answers.

When arriving at the department, workers refused to let 41 Action News inside the building. After waiting behind a locked door for more than 45 minutes, Barbara Hersh, a spokeswoman for the department, came out.

She could not answer most questions but did agree to send us documentation of all inspection reports conducted at Schlitterbahn.

The only one on file is from 2012, before the Verrückt water slide was installed. 

Schlitterbahn passed the inspection. However, the report shows the water park was not conducting a certain type of testing on its rides required by the state called non-destructive testing. Instead, Schlitterbahn was testing its rides by watching them.

In a statement by KDOL, it writes, "KDOL has requested documentation from Kansas Schlitterbahn Water Park to ensure all safety requirements have been followed."

While KDOL is not required to inspect any amusement park, state law requires that all amusement parks hire a licensed inspector at least once a year.

The 41 Action News investigators reached out to Hersh to see if anyone holds amusement parks accountable for getting those inspections done. We are still waiting on an answer.

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Jessica McMaster can be reached at jessica.mcmaster@kshb.com

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