17. It shall be the duty of every owner and ride operator to report immediately, on a form to be provided by the department, any accidents and resulting injuries or fatalities incurred during the operation of any carnival-amusement ride, other than minor incidents, as defined by rule, or any mechanical malfunction of any ride while in use necessitating suspension of operation for diagnostic or corrective work, and to cease operation of any ride whose breakdown or malfunction causes a fatality or serious injury to any person, subject to rules and regulations promulgated by the department.
Each owner and operator shall maintain, and make available for inspection by the commissioner, records of all minor incidents incurred in the operation of a carnival-amusement ride. As used in this section, "minor incidents" means those incidents designated by rule of the commissioner to be minor in nature.
As used in this section, "mechanical malfunction" means and includes structural failure of a load-bearing element, mechanical or electrical failure of a drive or control system component, or failure of a restraint system, which materially compromises ride safety.