Disney Shares A Behind-the-Scenes Look At Safety Measures Launches Comprehensive Safety Campaign

Disney Shares A Behind-the-Scenes Look At Safety Measures Launches Comprehensive Safety Campaign
Report on Safety, New Chief Safety Officer, Awareness Campaign Are Key Elements

As part of a continuing commitment to setting the highest standards for safety, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts today offered a behind-the-scenes look at its comprehensive safety measures and announced a multifaceted Safety Campaign to drive improvement and increase public awareness.

The details of the program were outlined by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman, Paul Pressler at a press event at the Disneyland Resort including release of a new Report on Safety, promotion of Walt Disney World® veteran engineering Vice President Greg Hale to the newly created position of Chief Safety Officer; and an ongoing awareness campaign to help Guests understand the steps they can take to play it safe while having fun on vacation.

"We believe today, just as we did in 1955 when we first opened Disneyland, that the safety of those who work and play at our Resorts is our single most important responsibility and an enduring value as theme park operators," said Pressler. "In an environment of heightened awareness and increased attention to safety and security, especially following the events of September 11th, we think it is important for our Guests to understand our programs and have the information they need to make safe choices for their families."

"This initiative reflects our unwavering commitment to constantly seek new and innovative ways to enhance the safety of our Guests from the moment they enter our Resorts until they leave. Maintaining a safety program that sets the standard for the industry as a whole is essential to achieving our goals of being the world's premiere family entertainment company," Pressler continued. "Safety is and always has been our number one priority, so we have taken steps to share this important information to provide a more in depth look at our operations."

Chief Safety Officer

In his newly created position of Chief Safety Officer, Greg Hale will report directly to Pressler and provide global oversight to all aspects of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attraction safety program - including innovative technologies to enhance Guest enjoyment and safety, ride system design, manufacturing, operations, and quality assurance.

Specific elements of this newly created position include: facilitating the exchange of safety best practices and technologies across all Parks and attractions; developing, evaluating and applying new safety technologies; and monitoring compliance with internal standards and regulatory requirements.

"One of the most critical advances of this safety campaign is increased communication and coordination across our countless safety activities, many of which have been in place for decades, to enhance the consistency and overall quality of our world-class safety programs," Hale said. "I look forward to working with the many outstanding engineers, operators and maintenance experts in our Parks worldwide to make our safety programs even better."

Formerly Vice President of Design & Engineering and Regulatory Compliance for the Walt Disney World Resort, Hale has held a number of positions related to attraction design, operation and safety since joining Walt Disney World in 1988. He currently serves on the board of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Amusement Ride Safety Standards Committee and is also chairman of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Safety and Maintenance Committee.

Report on Safety

The Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Report on Safety, was developed in response to increased interest in information regarding theme park safety, and resort-wide security programs. The publication was developed to provide Guests, community and business partners, and shareholders with a better understanding of the technology deployed and the steps taken to make the properties safe for the millions of people who visit every year.

Because international Parks and Resorts are governed by different laws, regulations and ownership structures, the Safety Report focuses exclusively on the safety measures currently in place at domestic properties. Key topics include:

• General resort safety measures, such as lifeguard and CPR training, food safety, security and emergency response.
• New and emerging technologies like Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) that provide immediate treatment for the most common causes of cardiac arrest, and Goofy's Magic Measure, a standardized height measurement system now being tested by the Disneyland Park.
• A comprehensive explanation of our attraction safety program, including ride design and development, manufacturing, testing, training, Guest communication, maintenance and quality assurance. The public may access the Report on Safety by logging onto www.disnev.go.com/parksafety.

Safety Awareness Campaign

In addition to the Report of Safety, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts will carry its safety message to the public later this summer with a special education campaign to heighten awareness of safety measures and educate Guests about their role in safety.

"Guests, themselves, have an essential role to play in safety," Hale said. "This program will be an important part of our expanded efforts to promote awarewness of the rules that have been developed to keep our Guests safe and enlist them as partners."

The first phase of the education campaign has been completed and includes a variety of measures - such as new universal signage, audio messages, ground markings and barriers -currently in place on attractions to communicate and reinforce safety rules to Guests. The Campaign will later expand to provide safety tips to all families planning vacation travel.

As the acknowledged leader in the theme park industry, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts drew from nearly 50 years of experience in developing its safety campaign. Last year, the division provided approximately 600 million rides to Guests on more than 250 attractions at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts.

--Posted June 4, 2002
Source: Disney Parks and Resorts