Autobelay Failure

Autobelay Failure

Sydney rock climbing gym says autobelay failure caused death

Posted on 23.10.2021

Critical Equipment Checks

If anyone has Autobelay’s in their climbing wall equipment, Outdoors Queensland urges you to conduct urgent checks on this equipment in light of a recent incident where there was a fatality as a result of an Autobelay failure (see below). Contact your service or maintenance provider for further information or requirements to check the equipment.

(Thanks to Outdoors NSW&ACT for this alert)

Sydney rock climbing gym says autobelay failure caused death

A Sydney rock climbing gym will reopen on Friday after a man fell 13 metres to his death last week when a device that allowed him to climb a wall without a partner, called an autobelay, failed.

Emergency services were last week called to Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym in St Peters to reports of a critically injured climber.

The man, believed to be in his 30s, was climbing a wall at the inner-west gym when he fell to his death.

The gym on Thursday confirmed the 13-metre fall was caused by the failure of an autobelay.

An autobelay is a device that takes the place of a person on the ground holding the other end of a rope, allowing a climber to scale a wall by themselves.

The gym has been closed since the incident but announced on social media it will be reopening on Friday.

“All our autobelays have been taken away and autobelays will not be used again at St Peters,” the gym said.

“No other equipment was involved. Out of respect for everyone involved we would ask that everyone avoid speculation.”

The gym said it had undertaken a “comprehensive program of equipment inspection and testing” ahead of Friday’s reopening.

The man’s death came just days after the gym reopened following the end of Sydney’s lockdown.

According to its website, the St Peters facility is the biggest climbing gym in the southern hemisphere, with 3700 square metres of climbing walls, and has been open since 1993.

There are 420 climbing routes at the gym and walls range from 11 to 16 metres tall.

SafeWork NSW has been investigating the incident.

Source
Sydney Morning Herald

 

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