Description
Ride technicians work to maintain and repair amusement park attractions. They need a strong technical knowledge and have specialised knowledge of the rides they are assigned to maintain. Ride technicians usually keep records of the maintenance and repairs performed as well as uptime and downtime for each serviced attraction. Attention to safety is especially important in the maintenance and repair of amusement park rides.
Duties
A ride technician typically does the following tasks:
- Ensures excellent customer service by responding to customer requirements, expectations and needs.
- Performs daily inspections on rides, attractions, elevators and disassembles motors and their controls.
- Works on computer controlled equipment.
- Fills out inspection and work order forms and cleans ride areas.
- Uses, stores and disposes paint, oil, solvents and other chemicals.
- Uses micrometer, calipers, volt ohmmeters and other precise measuring devices.
- Maintains and repairs gears, gearboxes and gear motors.
- Works with PLC programmable controllers.
- Disassembles and overhauls hydraulic power units, accumulators, and associated.
- Works with low voltage electrical systems.
Other titles
The following job titles also refer to ride technician:
theme park technician
ride maintenance engineer
aquatic technician
engineering supervisor
ride mechanical engineer
Minimum qualifications
An associate’s degree in any engineering related discipline (e.g. mechanical, electrical) is generally required to work as a ride technician.
ISCO skill level
ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:
- the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
- the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
- the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.
Ride technician is a Skill level 2 occupation.
Ride technician career path
Similar occupations
These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to ride technician.
amusement park cleaner
surface miner
vehicle electronics installer
mine control room operator
refurbishing technician
Long term prospects
These occupations require some skills and knowledge of ride technician. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of ride technician with a significant experience and/or extensive training.
gas processing plant control room operator
oil refinery control room operator
petroleum pump system operator
calibration technician
air pollution analyst
Essential knowledge and skills
Essential knowledge
This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of ride technician.
- Mechanical components of vehicles: Know the mechanical components used in vehicles and identify and resolve potential malfunctions.
- Electronics: The functioning of electronic circuit boards, processors, chips, and computer hardware and software, including programming and applications. Apply this knowledge to ensure electronic equipment runs smoothly.
- Amusement park emergency procedures: Stay informed about shutdown and emergency evacuation procedures for amusement parks.
- Mechanics: Theoretical and practical applications of the science studying the action of displacements and forces on physical bodies to the development of machinery and mechanical devices.
Essential skills and competences
These skills are necessary for the role of ride technician.
- Maintain amusement park equipment: Maintain exhaustive inventories of equipment in venues and amusement parks.
- Assemble electronic units: Assemble and maintain electronic components and electronic circuits.
- Check ride safety restraints: Control the ride safety restraints to see if everything works in a normal, safe manner.
- Monitor amusement park safety: Follow up activities to ensure permanent safety and decent behaviour of park visitors; remove unruly visitors if needed.
- Ensure health and safety of staff: Promote and maintain a culture of health, safety and security among the staff by maintaining policies and procedures for the protection of vulnerable participants and when necessary, dealing with suspicions of possible abuse.
- Maintain amusement park attractions: Maintain, control and repair rides and attractions, both mechanically and electronically.
- Maintain electronic systems: Calibrate and maintain electronic systems; execute preventive equipment maintenance tasks.
- Ensure health and safety of visitors: Take the necessary precautions to ensure the physical safety of an audience or people visiting an activity. Prepare actions in case of emergency. Administer first aid and direct emergency evacuations.
- Check ride communications: Check and make sure that all the communication functions of your assigned ride operate properly.
- Maintain ride parts inventory: Keep an exhaustive inventory of mechanic and electronic ride parts, to ensure a safe and continuous operation.
Optional skills and competences
These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of ride technician. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
- Drive vehicles: Be able to drive vehicles; have the appropriate type of driving license according to the type of motor vehicle used.
- Advise on safety improvements: Provide relevant recommendations following the conclusion of an investigation; ensure that recommendations are duly considered and where appropriate acted upon.
- Operate amusement rides: Operate mechanical devices or automated equipment in amusement parks, carnivals, or recreational areas.
- Clean ride units: Eliminate dirt, rubbish or impurities in ride units in an amusement park.
ISCO group and title
7412 – Electrical mechanics and fitters
References
- Ride technician – ESCO