A look at some companies that run amusement rides in Wisconsin and their violations, based on state Department of Commerce records and reviewed by ride experts:

Indianhead Amusements

Traveling carnival

Based in Spooner

In June 2006, state inspectors ordered Indianhead Amusements to make many repairs to some of its rides. The repairs included replacing broken wires and track wheels on the Zipper, and reinstalling a safety spring on a door latch.

But the next state inspection for Indianhead rides wasn't until last month, according to Commerce.

No accidents were reported to the state involving the ride between those inspections, records show.

But ride consultant David Collins said the deficiencies identified in 2006 were potentially serious. He said the ride should have been shut down until repairs were made and state inspectors should have reinspected within three days.

"If that procedure doesn't happen in Wisconsin, Wisconsin has a problem with its code," Collins said.

Greg Jones, administrator for the Commerce Department's Safety and Buildings division, said the violations didn't represent a threat to passengers. "If there was a serious life danger issue, a cease and desist order would've been issued," he said.

Larry Harder, owner of Indianhead, could not be reached for comment.

New violations relating to hinges on one Zipper tub were issued last month, according to Commerce.

Silver Dollar Shows

Traveling carnival, based in Watertown

A 2002 inspection found that electric brakes on the Tilt-A-Whirl owned by Silver Dollar Shows weren't working and needed to be fixed.

The brakes on a Tilt-A-Whirl keep the tub from moving when the ride is stopped so that passengers can safely enter and exit the tub, ride consultant Bill Avery said. Failed brakes could send the tub swinging from side to side, knocking down passengers, even breaking bones, he said.

That didn't happen, said Silver Dollar owner Jean Liebhart, because every time the electric brakes were out, the tub's manual brakes worked. That mean no noticeable change to passengers but more work for the operator, she said.

But the frequency with which state inspectors found problems with the ride's electric brakes suggest the company wasn't doing daily inspections of the ride, Collins said. Tub brakes are the first items he checks when he inspects that ride, he said.

State records show the Tilt-A-Whirl was one of 10 rides Silver Dollar registered with the state in 2003, but there's no record of it being inspected.

When the Tilt-A-Whirl was inspected again in 2004, the electric brakes were "out of service," one of four violations identified by the state that year for that ride.

In May 2005, Liebhart wrote a letter to Commerce, apparently referring to the total of 16 violations cited the previous year for seven rides, saying, "To the best of my knowledge, all repairs have been made."

But in 2007, a state inspector found that the electric brakes weren't working on three of the Tilt-A-Whirl's tubs.

UW-Madison professor Frank Rath said there might be a design problem on the ride if brakes are often out of service.

Jones acknowledged last month that he couldn't offer reassurance that the brakes found to be broken this year have been fixed. But Liebhart, the company owner, said the electric brakes have been repaired.

Devil's Lake Amusements

Fixed operator, Baraboo

In 2004, an inspector found that the Kiddie Go-Kart track at Devil's Lake Amusements in Baraboo lacked a fire extinguisher and that the extinguisher at the adult track had not been recharged. The company was given five weeks to address the violation.

State records don't show whether the company had done so. But when a state inspector returned in 2006, neither fire extinguisher had been recharged, and the company was given until July 24, 2007, to comply.

An inspection took place last month and the extinguishers were charged and working, Jones said.

Consecutive violations regarding fire extinguishers show the company wasn't paying attention to a vital safety component of go-kart tracks, Avery said.

Jones acknowledged that the violations "could be" a risk to passengers. Asked why inspectors didn't return more quickly to ensure that they were corrected, he replied: "You see a clear pattern of getting back to those rides for inspection to bring them up to compliance."

Rich Peczkowski, the owner of Devil's Lake Amusements, could not be reached for comment.

Brookes Concessions

Traveling ride, based in Waupaca

In the last three years, state inspectors have uncovered several electrical-related violations on the Firehouse Funhouse, a maze-like traveling ride with punching bags, a moving walkway and a spiral slide owned by Brookes Concessions.

The violations included non-grounded electrical wires, other improper wiring, non-working smoke detectors, exposed electrical boxes, non-working emergency lights and protruding electrical wires during inspections in each of the last three years, including May 2007.

The problems raise the risk of a fire or electrocution, said ride expert Mark Mooney of CARES.

Violations found in 2005 and 2006 were found to be fixed during an October 2006 inspection. The 2007 violations, including improper grounding of electrical wires, were to be fixed by July 1.

Commerce records don't show if the 2007 fixes have been made.

James Von Ruden of Brookes Concessions, which owns the funhouse, said he was not present during the inspection and was not made aware of the 2007 violations. The ride should be and has been electrically grounded this summer, he said.

"I've had nobody getting shocks off of it," Von Ruden said. "If it wasn't grounded, people would be getting shocks."

Von Ruden said that he is an employee of the traveling carnival Tip Top Shows and that the fun house accompanies Tip Top at fairs and carnivals. Electrical wires from his ride are connected to a central electrical box, Von Ruden said, and if those wires were disconnected during the inspection, the ride may have been cited for not being grounded.

Spectrum Entertainment

Traveling carnival, based in Ironwood, Mich.

In August 2006, a state inspector found a number of code violations on the Zipper ride operated in Wisconsin and Michigan by Spectrum Entertainment, including:

•One tub had a cracked door frame and cracked a lap bar.

•Rope drive sheaves are "completely worn out" or "extremely worn."

•Missing and ungraded bolts and nuts on lap bars, door hinges and tubs.

•Broken drive wire ropes.

"It sounds like the Zipper was a mess," Mooney said. "Clearly, the ride had some maintenance issues. The company wasn't maintaining the ride as it should."

Rides should use bolts and screws with a strength required by the manufacturer rather than ungraded ones because they can withstand more stress and are safer, he said.

"Non-grade bolts are (reason for) a shutdown. Absolutely," Mooney said. "If you put in bolts that don't meet specifications, you can have catastrophic results."

Jones said state officials have made looking at Spectrum's rides a priority each year because they have traditionally had a lot of violations.

"We take a look often and quickly at their particular rides," Jones said.

In June 2007, a state inspector returned to the Zipper and found that the repairs had been made, according to state records.

Dan Barbacovi, Spectrum owner, said the company made the 2006 repairs as soon as possible. "Anything the state wants fixed, we fix," Barbacovi said.

He disputed Mooney's belief that the ride wasn't maintained. But he said the Zipper is a high-maintenance ride and he appreciated the state's scrutiny.

Spectrum typically plays at least seven county fairs in Wisconsin and about 10 festivals each year, he said.

— Mark Pitsch