The Scorpion, which broke apart at the Calgary Stampede midway last week, is being investigated by an Alberta group which was also responsible for inspecting it. (CBC)

An American expert in carnival ride safety is concerned about Alberta's inspection process after a ride malfunctioned last week at the Calgary Stampede, injuring 10 people.

On Friday night, one of the pods came off a ride known as the Scorpion when it was about 10 metres in the air and crashed to the ground.

Under provincial rules, one of the groups now investigating the incident –- the Alberta Elevating Device and Amusement Rides Safety Association — was also in charge of inspecting the ride in the first place. That creates a potential conflict of interest, according to Walt Reiss, a Pennsylvania-based consultant who travels the U.S. investigating midway accidents.

"You don't want to go down the street to your auto mechanic and have him inspect your car, and then have an accident and have him be the same one to go and investigate the accident," Reiss said. "Because if there's anything that implicates the person who did the inspection, well, there's ways of covering that up."

However, Chris Tye, the executive director of safety services for Alberta Municipal Affairs, said carnival accidents are rare, which is evidence that the inspection system works well.

"I would say our safety record indicates that our rides are inherently safe," Tye told CBC News. Rides are also inspected annually by a company hired by the government, and undergo additional inspection each time they enter the province.

Reiss said Alberta's inspection system lacks provincewide testing of inspectors, which leads to inconsistent levels of training. "There's a lot of differences out there," he said. "There's a lot of varying levels of competency of the inspectors."