Safety Alert: Climbing Centres and School Holidays

School holidays can increase workloads at indoor climbing and play centres. But despite the added demands on staff and resources, it’s important not to compromise on safety.

Climbers have been seriously hurt in falls from artificial climbing structures. Those injured include an 11-year-old boy. The boy fell because he was not connected to an automatic belay system due to a failure in the pre-climb process. An automatic belay or auto belay is a safety device that controls a climber’s descent. It lowers the climber to the ground at a controlled speed. Thinking he was connected to the auto belay, the boy jumped from a structure and fell 7 m to the floor. Seconds earlier, children had been playing where he landed.

Safety issues

Safety issues at climbing centres include the following:

• Safety equipment such as auto belays and harnesses can fail if not properly maintained. Regularly inspect and maintain equipment in line with the manufacturer’s specifications.
• The ages and abilities of climbers can vary greatly. Supervise all users at indoor climbing, play and activity centres. This includes both adults and children.
• Conditions can vary. For example, school holidays can lead to climbing centres being busier than usual. The increased demand on employees might lead to risks associated with supervision. Ensure there is an appropriate employee-to-climber ratio.
• Lack of supervision has led to users failing to follow the rules for safe use of climbing structures. This includes failing to connect the harness to the auto belay before starting to climb. Always check climbers’ harnesses before they climb. The check is to confirm the harness is correctly connected and secured to the auto belay.

Recommended ways to control risks

As an employer, the following guidance may help you control risks from auto belays, harnesses and other equipment.

Controls

Hazards and risks must be eliminated, so far as is reasonably practicable. If it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate hazards and risks, they must be reduced so far as is reasonably practicable. This can be done through controls. Controls to reduce risks from climbing equipment and structures could include the following:

• Adequate active supervision of all users of the climbing wall.
• A physical soft barrier or gate on the climbing wall. The barrier is usually a highly visible visual indicator. It shows that nobody is currently climbing. It is also an ‘in-your-face’ reminder to the climber to attach the auto belay system. The bottom edge of the barrier is anchored to the floor. The top edge is attached to the auto belay when the auto belay is not in use. When a climber attaches the auto belay to their harness, the barrier drops to the floor, out of the climber’s way. When the climber is finished, the auto belay is reattached to the barrier.
• The use of an interlocked carabiner to help ensure harnesses are correctly attached. It is important to note that using interlocked carabiners and connectors is not a substitute for the supervision of climbers.