On July 29, 2001 a 110HP Case traction engine exploded at a fairgrounds in Medina, OH, killing 5 and injuring 47 others. Operator error was determined as the primary cause. Because of the media attention given to this event, many hobby live steam organizations throughout the USA were concerned that strict regulatory measures might be imposed by government agencies. In the Preface to the NWSS G.O.S.H., the following statement summed up a part of our concern:

"...like it or not both the boating world and the world of hobby steam are becoming increasingly regulated. There is a growing risk of hobby steamboating becoming subject to unsuitable regulations made by people who don't understand its nature or scale. Because of the duration of its existence and expertise of its members, the NWSS has the opportunity to demonstrate that we take seriously those matters which potential regulators may believe require attention. Hopefully this proactive stance will allow us input in any future discussions of proposed 'regulations'."

Since the publication of the Guidelines, we have provided a copy of them to each Member of the NWSS, and made them available to others through our online store, the "Slopchest". They are now available online in a PDF format by selecting "Free copy of Guidelines in .pdf here!" at the top of this page. Response has been favorable and one organization, the Steamboat Association of Australia, requested (and received) permission to make it available to their membership.

Recent events, including an accident at the Sacramento Delta Meet in California in September, 2009, as well as continued interest in our activities by the State of Washington brought this issue up for discussion at the March, 2010, General Membership Meeting. The Membership decided that a Safety Committee, under the supervision of the Board of Directors, should be formed to inspect the steamboat boilers belonging to NWSS Members if individual Members wish to have them inspected. Inspection will be optional, but only steamboats that have a valid NWSS Safety Certificate will be allowed to participate in a NWSS sanctioned activity. Further, the Board of Directors resolved to put this testing procedure in place starting with the 2010 Annual NWSS Meet, August 6, 2010, and for all NWSS sanctioned steamboat activities afterward.