Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has agreed to take several steps to improve safety following an accident that severely injured several acrobats during a hair-hanging stunt in Rhode Island last year.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the settlement agreement Thursday. It says the circus has agreed to have all its aerial acts reviewed by a registered professional engineer and take other steps.

Eight acrobats plunged to the ground during a performance in Providence in May 2014, when a clip that was suspending them in the air snapped. A ninth worker on the ground was also hurt.

Circus spokesman Stephen Payne says Ringling Bros. wants to do whatever it can to make the circus safe, and has already taken many of the steps covered in the agreement.