Minister calls for zipline safety

BANGKOK  Tourism and Sports Minister, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, has urged adventure tourism operators to tighten safety and security measures after a Chinese woman died, last week, during a visit to the Flying Squirrel adventure zipline attraction in Chiang Mai.
The tourism minister visited Chiang Mai and the site of the accident at Flying Squirrel over the weekend. She met with the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Chiang Mai, Chao Xiaoliang, and discussed safety issues with 14 zipline operators.
“Zipline is now popular activity for tourists in Chiang Mai particularly Chinese travellers…the recent accidents should alert us that safety must come first.”
The ministry instructed relevant authorities to investigate and fix the problem as well as set systematically check on safety and security measures for tourists both Thais and foreigners.
inside no 3The checks should be similar to what the fire department conducts at high-rise buildings when equipment and readiness to meet a crisis are tested.
“We need to practice what is in the manuals and adopt stringent measures for zipline maintenance and procedures when there is an emergency …this must be done in both Thais, English and Chinese.”
Operators must improve their service standards and build confidence among tourists who are travelling in Chiang Mai, the minister said.
The measures include providing warm-up stations, more comprehensive instruction before the ride and professional, detailed supervision. It is feared zipline staff are often under pressure to push the maximum number of people through the circuit every hour and this could lead to lax safety precautions or overloading.
Zipline adventure operators that use a single wire for rappelling down to stations should add more cables as back-up.
Sling line equipment that purchased in rolls must have a quality certificate particularly the wires used to connect joints. Operators should check the condition of cables as per the standards and specification as stated by the manufacturer, the minister urged.
In addition, brake system should be set on sling lines to lower speed before players reach each platform. Operators should also improve platform layout and design to tilt the platform to slow down the slings.
The manual should name equipment engineers and supervisors, regulators, staff duty and rules for players as well as the last date of an independent check.
All of the rules are left to the zipline companies to adopt and follow, but critics says the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has to take responsibility for the recent spate of accidents. It should conduct six monthly checks, or assign the task to an independent body to ensure transparency.
One of the most important functions of the ministry is to ensure the tourism industry complies with quality standards and that companies registered to operate tourist services are conduct safety audits and regular maintenance.
Both zipline officers and players must follow the rules for the sake of safety and security, the minister noted during her visit. She did not address how the ministry will enforce quality standards especially in the adventure travel segment that is actively promoted as a world-class travel experience.

sourced: ttrweekly.com