'Code 222 grey': The three words that sent chills down Dreamworld workers' spines as they ran towards the Thunder River Rapids Ride tragedy

  • Two engineering staff have said they walked to incident to avoid scaring guests  
  • An inquest heard the guests died when a water pump on the ride malfunctioned
  • The court was told the lack of a water sensor was the incident's 'primary cause'
  • The rapids ride was upgraded in 2016 and the sensor was being considered

By Brett Lackey and Charlie Coe For Daily Mail Australia and Aap

Published: 20:19 EDT, 15 October 2018 | Updated: 20:34 EDT, 15 October 2018

Two Dreamworld workers have told an inquest into the deaths of four people, they were given a code over radio that signalled a critical medical emergency. 

Engineering staff Wayne Cox and Scott Ritchie told the inquest that they were radioed a 'Code 222 blue' meaning a medical emergency at a ride.

The two men ran towards the ride but realised that may scare the other guests and began walking - by the time they had arrived at the Thunder River Rapids ride the code had been upgraded to 'Code 222 grey' meaning a medical emergency involving mechanics that all staff must attend. 

The inquest heard Dreamworld had commissioned Products for Industry (PFI) to undertake a safety upgrade on the 30-year-old ride
The upgrade, completed in February 2016 with some additional works in March, cost approximately $19,000

It did not include the installation of a water level sensor, which was being investigated for a second stage of the upgrade
The second stage was never given a start date before the tragedy

Cindy Low (top right), Kate Goodchild (bottom left), her brother Luke Dorsett (bottom right) and his partner Roozi Araghi (top left) tragically lost their lives in the incident

Two Dreamworld workers said they were given a code over radio that signalled a medical emergency involving mechanics that all staff must attend (pictured; children at a memorial) 

Two Dreamworld workers said they were given a code over radio that signalled a medical emergency involving mechanics that all staff must attend (pictured; children at a memorial) 

Mr Cox said in a statement that they ran about a third of the way to the ride but then walked 'so as to not draw too much attention to ourselves and alarm the park guests' and by the time they arrived, first responders were already wading through the water to get to the victims.

In the days before the incident, Mr Ritchie emailed an external firm requesting a technician inspect the 30-year-old ride after a water pump continually kept tripping, forcing the ride to shut down.

An inquest into the deaths of Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi was shown an email by Mr Ritchie at the Southport Coroners Court on Monday.

The email was sent to electrical firm Applied Electro on October 22, 2016 - just three days before Ms Low, Ms Goodchild, Mr Dorsett and Mr Araghi would die when the pump in question malfunctioned.

'We are back up and running now however the sooner you are able to get to site the better,' Mr Ritchie wrote.

Engineering staff Wayne Cox and Scott Ritchie told the inquest that they were radioed a 'Code 222 grey' meaning a medical emergency at a ride involving mechanics 

Engineering staff Wayne Cox and Scott Ritchie told the inquest that they were radioed a 'Code 222 grey' meaning a medical emergency at a ride involving mechanics 

The inquest has heard the ride's water pump suffered an 'earth fault' at least five times inside three days before the tragedy.

On Monday, documents shown to the inquest revealed a drive in the pump was nearing the end of its recommended operational life span of 10 years.

The morning of the fatal incident, Mr Ritchie was informed a technician would visit the park on October 27.

'We will see what unfolds,' Mr Ritchie replied.

Mr Ritchie and engineering supervisor Mark Watkins were expected to give evidence when the inquest resumed.

The four guests died when a water pump on the Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned in October 2016, resulting into two rafts colliding and flipping.

The inquest at Southport Coroners Court already heard reduced water levels due to the failed pump contributed significantly to the tragedy.

On Monday, the inquest was shown a report by Safety Related Control Systems which concluded the lack of a water level sensor on the ride was the 'primary cause' of the incident.

The inquest heard Dreamworld had commissioned Products for Industry (PFI) to undertake a safety upgrade on the 30-year-old ride.

The upgrade, completed in February 2016 with some additional works in March, cost approximately $19,000.

It did not include the installation of a water level sensor, which was being investigated for a second stage of the upgrade.

The second stage was never given a start date before the tragedy.

'The primary cause of the tragic incident was the lack of a suitable safety rated water level detection system interfaced to the upgraded conveyor system,' the report concludes.

'Such a safety system could easily have been provided and at a minimal cost.'

The report says if a water level sensor had been installed at the same time as the other upgrades in February and March it would have cost between $2000-$3000.

PFI electrical engineer Matthew Sullivan agreed when asked if it would have been possible to install a water sensor on the ride.

Others scheduled to give evidence on Monday include a representative of electrical firm Applie Electro Systems and a representative of Danfoss, the company that provided mechanical equipment used in the Thunder River Rapids ride.

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'Code 222 grey': The three words that sent chills down Dreamworld workers' spines

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