South Carolina can and should do more to ensure amusement rides are safe for the public, two Charleston lawmakers said Monday.

State Rep. Wallace Scarborough, R-Charleston, plans to introduce a bill that would require state amusement safety officials to inspect portable rides every time they are assembled. Despite grueling tour schedules in which rides are repeatedly operated, taken apart, transported and reassembled, the law requires only one state inspection a year.

"That's a biggie for me, that we don't inspect it every time it's put back up," Scarborough said.

He said a Sunday story in The Post and Courier that exposed gaps in the state's amusement inspection program convinced him that the state is not doing enough to protect riders. Last year, Scarborough successfully pushed for passage of a law that bans reckless behavior on amusement rides. He also is a member of the Exchange Club of Charleston, which puts on the Coastal Carolina Fair, the state's second largest.

State amusement safety officials say the once-a-year inspection policy is adequate because amusement ride owners also are required to conduct inspections.

But State Rep. Chip Limehouse, R-Charleston, who plans to back Scarborough's bill, said the state has a responsibility to verify the amusement industry's inspections. "It's better to have someone from outside the operation checking them," Limehouse said. "It shouldn't be a lottery every time you put your child on a ride."

Organizers of the Coastal Carolina Fair, which kicks off Thursday in Ladson, hire a private inspector to check their rides because they are not comfortable relying on the state and industry inspections alone. Fair spokesman Joe Bolchoz, who also serves as president of the South Carolina Association of Fairs, said he would support any effort that improves safety.

Some 65 rides owned by New Jersey-based Amusements of America began arriving at the fairgrounds Monday. Company spokesman Dominic Vivona Jr. said his family's company is accustomed to a range of ride regulations around the country and would be open to additional state inspections in South Carolina. "If it creates a safer environment, that's wonderful," he said.

Scarborough said he plans to pre-file his bill before the General Assembly returns to Columbia in January. He said he's still researching it but expects the legislation could mirror North Carolina's amusement safety law. North Carolina's law requires a state inspection each time a ride is assembled and is considered one of the toughest in the country.

"We can probably adopt the North Carolina law," he said. "I think it would sail right through because it's all about public safety."

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, said he expects the legislation would find support in the Senate as long as the benefits of more state inspections are found to outweigh any associated costs. The state's amusement ride inspection program, administered by the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, pays for itself through inspection fees and fines.

Contact Ron Menchaca at rmenchaca@postandcourier.com or 937-5491.