Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has issued Dreamworld with seven improvement notices and three prohibition notices relating to safety at the beleaguered theme park.

The notices relate to staff safety protocols and not to visitor safety.

For visitor safety, Dreamworld returned a clean bill of health – none of its rides or amusements were deemed unsafe for visitors.

The findings, released by Dreamworld, did not include findings on the Thunder River Rapids ride on which Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozbeh Araghi were killed alongside Cindy Low in October.

The investigation into that tragedy is ongoing and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is yet to make any findings in relation to the permanently closed ride.

Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson said the breaches involved procedural matters, paperwork improvements and the safety of staff and maintenance workers.

He said all the notices would be addressed before Dreamworld and its water park, White Water World, reopened.

In addition to the safety audit, he announced further checks would be carried out.

This would comprise a multi-tiered review by Dreamworld’s own engineers, an international theme park safety expert and leading Australian amusement ride engineers, Pitt & Sherry.

Improvement notices:

• Green Room Waterslide (White Water World) — the “Emergency Stop” button’s colour is faded and the label contains the manufacturer’s ride name not WhiteWater World’s name.
• WhiteWater World is required to submit a Chemical Register to notify WHSQ of storage of hazardous chemicals.
• The Flowrider ride requires an updated chemical log book.
• Staff working on the Flowrider are required to use upgraded Personal Protective Equipment (respiratory masks) when adding pool chemicals and should be trained in how to use the new masks
• A Flowrider plastic mat connection contained a sharp edge and was a potential scratch hazard. Dreamworld has repaired this
• Dreamworld requires durable tags for all electrical equipment/tools (“tag and test” tags)
• A maintenance staff member working on the Escape from Madagascar ride did not comply with “work at heights” requirements.

Prohibition notices:

• A concern with maintenance safety harness anchor points on the BuzzSaw ride (harness point for maintenance staff).
• Staff maintenance procedure error relating to a maintenance safety chain on the BuzzSaw.
• BuzzSaw requires additional inter-lock gate for the operator’s control booth to restrict operator access to the ride platform during ride operation.

One of the rafts involved in the incident is taken away to be examined. Photo: Network Ten

Both a spokesperson for Dreamworld and for Worksafe Health and Safety Queensland confirmed to The New Daily the safety audit only uncovered the above misdemeanours for staff wellbeing and none visitor wellbeing.

In short, both confirmed all Dreamworld rides – except for the still under investigation Thunder River Rapids ride – were safe for visitors.

Dreamworld also announced that Royal Life Saving Queensland would be auditing pools and lifesaving procedures at White Water World this week.

– with ABC