A five-year-old boy has critical head injuries after falling from a Melbourne carnival ride that may have been operating after hours.
The boy was on the Cha Cha at a carnival in Rye at 5pm on Monday when he was flung from the fast-moving ride.
"There's a proper investigation going on and we hope they conclude that quickly," Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said. "Any learnings from that will be applied not just at this particular site but all similar rides."
"Initial inquiries indicate that the ride may have been used by carnival workers and their families after the carnival had closed," Head of Operations at WorkSafe Victoria Adam Watson said.
Young boy in critical condition after accident on carnival ride in Rye, Melbourne (SBS) Source: SBS
"WorkSage attended the site last night and issued a notice ensuring the site remains undisturbed so WorkSafe enquires can continue on today.
"Inquiries will focus on a number of issues, in particular the height requirements for riders, to determine if all safety procedures had been followed."
The boy was airlifted to the Royal Children's Hospital in a critical condition with head and hand injuries.
"They have a duty of care to the public and it appears that duty of care has failed in this instance," Occupational Health and Safety Lead Organiser of the Victorian Trades Hall Council Paul Sutton said.
"Trades Hall is urging all operators of rides to reexamine their health and safety procedures in light of this terrible incident to ensure their machines are operating as safely as possible."
A parent, who was on the ride with their two children, told Fairfax Media the ride lasted about five minutes before the boy was flung out.
"The attendant announced it was the last ride of the day for the Cha Cha and there appeared to be a number of carnival workers and relatives of workers on the ride," the parent said.
Brittany Clemente was flung from a Cha Cha ride in Lilydale in 2011 and left with ongoing injuries.
"She was yelling out stop, but people didn't know why she was screaming," her mother Silvana Clemente told 3AW on Tuesday.
According to the Wittingslow Amusements website, 44 people can be on the ride at any one time and the minimum height requirement is 130cm.
In 2014, eight-year-old Adelene Leong died after being thrown from a high-speed ride at the Royal Adelaide Show.
Last year four adults died on the Thunder River Rapids ride at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast.
