School holiday reminder for climbing centres

Background

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.

Information, instruction, training and supervision

As an employer, you have legal duties to your employees. These duties include a duty to provide employees with information, instruction, training or supervision. You have to meet a standard when fulfilling this duty. You must provide what is necessary for employees to work safely and without risks to health. This means you should provide employees with the information, instruction, training or supervision they need to do the following:

• Competently assess the safety of a climber’s harness.
• Ensure a climber's secure attachment to an auto belay before climbing.
• Adequately supervise climbers, especially children.
• Inspect and maintain equipment.
• Rescue patrons suspended at height.
• Do their work in a way that is safe and without risks to health.

Inexperienced, new and young workers may need supervision. You must provide the supervision employees need to do their work in a way that is safe and without risks to health.

Keep a register of employees’ training and competency. Regularly assess employees’ skills and provide refreshers regularly.

Supervision of climbers

Consider implementing a plan that organises staff to provide supervision. The plan should be scalable to match the number of climbers. Consider the environment, including blind spots, when assigning staff to specific areas. Ensure staff members know their roles and are positioned correctly, whether stationary or moving. Supervision should include continuous scanning for risky behaviour. Have clear guidelines on when and how staff intervene and engage.

Supervise climbers according to their age and skill level. Supervision should include the following:

• Employees roaming throughout the activity area. Employees should have planned roaming paths. In larger venues they should have set stationary positions. Fields of view should overlap.
• Effective ways for employees on the floor to communicate with each other. For example, hand-held two-way radios.
• Ensuring climbers below a minimum age have continuous adult supervision. Refuse entry to the climbing area for those under age or without an adult.
• Giving climbers a pre-activity briefing on safe play and rules of use. Include the following
  • An explanation of safety equipment.
  • A demonstration of the correct use of equipment. Include the correct use of the auto belay and how to check that a harness is correctly locked in place.
  • Instructions that climbing cannot start until employees have completed checks. Checks include verifying the connection of the harness to the auto belay system.
  • An explanation of exclusion zones under each climbing structure.
  • An explanation of what happens if rules about safe play and safe use are not followed. For example, immediate removal from the area.
  • How to report an unsafe situation or damaged equipment.
• An employee-to-climber safety ratio. When working out the ratio, consider the following
  • The user group and its needs. For example, age, physical ability, special needs, experience and difficulty of the activity.
  • Setting session times for bookings and limiting the number of spots available.
  • Limiting access when an activity starts or the maximum number of climbers is reached.
  • Limiting the available equipment so it matches the climber-to-supervisor ratio.
  • Providing more supervision in set areas for different skill levels and ages. For example, an area for beginners or children, or a more complex activity.

Inspection of climbers

Closely inspect each climber before they climb. Inspections are to ensure climbers are properly connected to the safety system. Instruct climbers not to start climbing until an employee has completed checks to ensure the harness is correctly connected and secured to the auto belay.

Check climbers for items that could tangle in climbing equipment. For example, jewellery, watches, rings and wristbands. These items could also cut or fray the rope or webbing on the harness or auto belay. Climbers should remove these items before climbing.

Inspection of structures and safety equipment

Climbing structures and safety equipment should be inspected regularly. Develop and put in place a regular and ongoing inspection and maintenance program.

Inspections should include checks for the following:

• Wear on ropes and on the webbing on auto belays and harnesses. This includes, for example, cuts or fraying. Wear could cause the material to snap during use. Immediately repair or replace equipment showing signs of wear.
• Wear on parts, such as the pins on safety keys and connector locking mechanisms. Wear could allow insecure attachment to the climber and cause the climber to fall. Immediately repair or replace parts showing signs of wear.
• Sharp edges and other damage to climbing structures. Sharp edges could cut ropes or the harness or auto belay webbing and cause the equipment to snap or fail. Climbers should not be able to access damaged structures until they are repaired.
• Safety or product information labels on equipment such as carabiners and harnesses. The labels should state when the equipment should be destroyed or disposed of. Items without labels should be discarded and replaced.

Maintenance of structures and safety equipment

Climbing structures and safety equipment require regular and ongoing maintenance. They should be maintained to comply with:

• manufacturer and supplier directions
• recommendations in the user manual.

What to include in an inspection and maintenance program

An inspection and maintenance program should include the following:

• Scheduled daily, monthly and annual inspections. See the table in this guidance for an example of an inspection schedule. Inspections should include climbing equipment and structures, including
  • climbing walls and structures
  • ropes
  • harnesses
  • auto belays
  • matting
  • floors.
• A process for identifying, recording, and tracking the service life of individual pieces of equipment. For example, a register of
  • equipment identification
  • purchase date
  • first use
  • service life
  • inspection dates
  • condition reports
  • use logs
  • repair history
  • equipment retirement date.
• A process to dispose of or destroy equipment once it is past its recommended service life.
• Full inspections of all equipment after an incident. This will help ensure the equipment is suitable for continued use. Include climbing walls and structures, ropes, harnesses, auto belays, matting and floors. Check manufacturer recommendations.

Inspection schedule example

The following table is an example of a climbing centre inspection schedule. The schedule is in line with Australian Standard AS2316. It should be undertaken by the duty holder in consultation with a suitably competent person, such as an engineer, where appropriate.

Note: Information in the table is from guidance published by SafeWork NSW.

Legal duties

As an employer, you have duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. They include duties to do the following, so far as is reasonably practicable:

• Eliminate hazards and risks. If it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate hazards and risks, you must reduce them so far as is reasonably practicable.
• Provide or maintain plant and systems of work that are safe and without risk to health.
• Ensure people who are not employees are not exposed to risks from the conduct of your business.
• Consult with employees and independent contractors about hazards and risks and ways to control them. Consultation must include any employee health and safety representatives.

You must also provide employees with information, instruction, training or supervision. When fulfilling this duty, you have to meet a standard. You must provide what is necessary for employees to work safely and without risks to health.

Related information

AS2316 series of technical standards on artificial climbing structures and challenge courses. This includes AS2316.1.1:2021 Artificial climbing structures and challenge courses - safety requirements and test methods for belayed climbing and abseiling structures.

Manufacturer and supplier equipment documents and manuals.