AALA Safety Alert No. 2 - Belay devices used with ground anchors

Issued: 24 July 2009

This alert has been produced by HSE and the Adventure Activities Licensing Service in consultation with the manufacturer and their authorised representative in the UK.

Background

On 24th June 2009, a serious accident occurred, involving a student on an organised outdoor activity, at an outdoor centre.  The student fell a significant distance and suffered spinal injuries, even though she was wearing a harness and her fall should have been arrested by the belaying system.

This alert has been issued to remind adventure activity providers who offer climbing-related activities, using belay ropes in combination with self-braking belay devices, that these should not be considered ‘automatic locking devices’ and that providers should have effective arrangements in place, namely:

• a belaying system which uses appropriate equipment and techniques, selected with regard to the manufacturers’ instructions for use, the intended application and activity;
• clear operating procedures;
• competent belayers, and
• adequate supervision, for the activity, maturity and experience of the belayers and the group, to ensure that the belayers have, and maintain, control of the rope tail (brake rope), at all times when belaying.

Adequate supervision includes instruction and monitoring of belayers, to ensure that they maintain control of the rope tail (brake rope).

Concerns

When the accident occurred, a Petzl Grigri was being used as a belay device.

Grigri self-braking belay devices are designed, and traditionally used, as a means of arresting a fall or lowering a climber during a range of climbing activities. Manufacturer’s information on use of the Grigri for belaying are provided with the device, and included in ‘Petzl Grigri’ Product Information D14, freely available from the Petzl website by clicking on the link for ‘Technical notice (multilanguages)’.

There is no evidence at this stage of the investigation to suggest that the Grigri suffered any kind of mechanical failure. Initial examination of the belaying arrangements indicates that:

• the device was being used in a different configuration to that described in the Petzl user instructions, namely with a ground anchor; and
• the rope may pass through the device, without operation of the braking cam, if the rope tail (brake rope) is not adequately controlled, when the climber’s weight is applied to the live rope.

The exact cause of the accident is still to be established at this stage of the investigation, and further tests and enquiries are being undertaken.

Action by activity providers

As a sensible precaution, HSE and AALS recommend that adventure activity providers review their risk assessment, and use of self-braking belay devices, on fixed installations. Manufacturers’ user instructions, for the use of these devices, and safe belaying practices, should normally be followed.

The manufacturer’s product information for the Grigri provides instructions only for use of the device attached to the belayer’s harness (belayer below climber), or head down to a top anchor (belayer above climber). Deviations, such as the use of a Grigri attached to a ground anchor, should be justified in the user’s risk assessment, following discussion with a suitably competent technical advisor, and the manufacturer or their authorised supplier.

Investigation of the incident is on-going. This alert will be updated, if further significant information becomes available.