Just a few weeks after the Climbing Wall Association completed their formation, they face their first big challenge government regulation.
In response to a fatal accident in Missouri, the Oklahoma Department of Labor has announced a mandatory inspection process for climbing walls. The process will be focused on portable walls, and will be handled as an “amusement ride” inspection.
According to Robert Richards, the director of the CWA, this new regulation is not going to affect indoor facilities. “Portable walls really have evolved into an amusement ride. We have always based our insurance on assumption of risk customers sign liability waivers”, said Richards. He went on to say that most of the porta-walls at festivals do not have any waivers, “you just pay your $5 and go.”
Additionally, Richards does not see this as a foreboding sign of things to come, pointing out that the climbing gym industry and the porta-wall industry are two different animals. “From what Ive seen, it sounds like the Oklahoma Department of Labors amusement ride commission is really focusing on the auto-belay system”, he said.
The documents cited by Richards did go into great detail concerning cable inspection it was a faulty cable that caused the fatal accident in Missouri — but it never mentioned rope inspection, or belayer training.
