RALEIGH- State inspections are underway for the rides before the North Carolina State Fair begins Thursday afternoon.

“We check for broken steel. We're checking for good footings. Solid structures. We don't want nothing shaking around getting lose,” says Ride Inspector Carey Creech with the State Department of Labor.

He and his crew have nearly 100 rides on their checklist.

“And we're making sure that none of these things will ride without the proper safety features enabled,” adds Creech.

Once they certify the rides, they'll rely on the ride operators to do daily checks.

“Three times a day they have a mandatory daily check list, per ride,” says Creech.

But Hurricane Michael could be a threat. The storm will bring heavy rains and high winds to the Triangle on Opening Day. Officials say if the winds blow beyond 40 miles per hours, they may have to take down some rides.

“That's when we start to make changes. If we want to take flags down or if we need to dismantle one of the taller rides,” says Marc Janas with the Powers Great American Midways.

The fair will run through October 21st.