1/5
Update- after speaking with director of the facility, they are addressing our safety concerns and taking multiple steps to prevent and future incidents. I greatly appreciate the humility shown by the director and even more, their quick response to recognizing and improving their safety.
Previous post:
I was the first hand witness to an accident on the zip line this past week. In my profession, anytime an accident of this magnitude occurs, at minimum, all safety directors, supervisors, and personnel involved meet to review the process. In this case, the only person we met with before proceeding was the leader of the activity. There absolutely should have been a senior level manager or director of the facility on site prior to proceeding.
We as parents met and put safety procedures in place that made us feel comfortable to proceed.
After following along with the activity, the last person to go on the zip line, almost encountered the exact same accident, which was only prevented because we as parents stopped the activity again.
This facility needs to address the rock wall and zip line activity before allowing ANY individual on the apparatus. Here are just a few major areas of concern that need to be addressed:
1. Paint the ladder a bright color that stands out against dirt and trees. Light gray paint against tan is basically camouflage.
2. Better communication: the workers are yelling at each other from 150 yards. Use radios. Spend the money!
3. Need more qualified workers. Everyone for this activity should be climb and rescue certified. There should be at least two people on top of the tower, or even three. We had one person. There should be a spotter, and additional resources for coordination. You cannot rely on parents for an activity like this. Even the person on the ladder should be a qualified and trained resource.
4. Proper emergency response. There should be an ambulance on site for climbing days. The field should have a stretcher and proper stabilization for things like head injuries. All personnel should be knowledgeable on how to respond when an accident does occur.
5. Better medical process. Anyone involved in a serious or recordable event should be immediately taken to a medical facility for evaluation. This facility is NOT equipped to assess any kind of concussion. Individuals should not be allowed to stay, even if they say they are fine.
6. Any incidents should have a response, forensic review, and follow up. I was the first person on the scene for the incident that occurred, and not a single person from this facility even asked me my name, what happened, nothing.
The people at this facility talk about safety, but they do not have a culture of safety. I watched one individual following good protocol with our group, but then that individual witnessed another instructor not following protocol and did nothing. That was an obvious Stop Work Authority moment, but that culture does not exist here.
After seeing the programmatic failure at every point, I start to question all of the other issues that lead up to a good safety program. All climbing equipment for a commercial facility should be inspected daily, or for every use. This type of equipment should be replaced after a certain number of hours or use, as defined in a safety program. I saw no sign of these types of actions. Which leads to more questions.
While the rock wall and zip line are extremely cool activities, they have inherent risk that can lead to serious or even deadly injuries. These risks can be assessed and mitigated with proper protocols and process through a comprehensive and ongoing safety program. That program should be under constant audit and evaluation for improvement.
The rock wall and zip line should be closed until such time they have a fully qualified and expanded staff, better equipment with safety controls, better communication, and response plans in place.
