A Dreamworld staffer has told an inquest that in hindsight the theme park failed to identify safety issues on the ill-fated Thunder River Rapids Ride.
An inquest into the deaths of Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi resumed on Monday at the Southport Coroners Court.
All four tourists were killed when the Thunder River Rapids Ride malfunctioned in October 2016.
Maintenance planner Grant Naumann was asked by counsel assisting Ken Fleming QC if there had been a "total failure by everybody" to identify safety risks with the 30-year-old ride.
The victims of the Dreamworld tragedy. Source: SBS News
"In hindsight, yes," Mr Naumann replied after a long pause.
Among the issues Mr Fleming suggested could have been identified on the ride were pinch points on the conveyor belt and potential issues that would be created by a water pump failure.
The fatal accident occurred when water levels dropped after a water pump failed, leaving a raft stranded on the conveyor belt which the raft carrying the four victims collided with, forcing both rafts to flip and the visitors to be fatally injured by the ride's machinery.
Mr Naumann said in his time at Dreamworld, he was unaware of the Thunder River Rapids Ride being inspected by an engineer for safety issues.
Earlier on Monday, Mr Naumann had agreed some maintenance operations may have been deferred for financial reasons but he said he'd never been told he could not attend to matters of safety due to monetary reasons.
The inquest into the 2016 deaths at the theme park is taking place at the Southport coroners court. Source: AAP
The inquest also heard an emergency stop button on the main control panel of the ride was never checked by a maintenance supervisor.
"That button was not a part of our pre-operational checks," maintenance supervisor Stephen Murphy said.
Mr Murphy also revealed senior management had altered a policy to allow a ride to break down three times in 24 hours before it was shut down.
"It was passed down from the management meeting that we would do it that way," Mr Murphy said, adding he didn't know when the order to extend it from two breakdowns in one day had been made, or why.
Dreamworld replaced the chain and several wooden planks on the conveyor during annual maintenance in April 2016, the inquest heard.
The inquest was also shown a work order from October 26, 2016 - the day after the tragedy - scheduling annual preventative maintenance on the Thunder River Rapids ride for 2017.
Mr Naumann said he did not know who had raised the work order.
The inquest continues.
