’We need to examine it all’: zipline operators react to Daintree fatal fall findings
There is some valuable advice the outdoor recreation sector could glean from what exactly went wrong in the Daintree Rainforest in October.
ZIPLINE operators have been poring over findings from the investigation into the fatal fall of a tourist in the Daintree to prevent another tragedy.
The industry’s peak body, the Queensland Outdoor Recreation Federation, says the alert issued by Workplace Health and Safety this week about the October 22 tragedy would undoubtedly have most zipline operators reviewing their own systems.
WHS investigators found that metal grips holding Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours’ zipline in place between rainforest trees at Cape Tribulation may have slipped, leading to holidaying Adelaide couple Dean and Shannon Sanderson plunging 16m to the rainforest floor.
Mr Sanderson died at the scene, while Mrs Sanderson survived, suffering spinal and shoulder injuries.
QORF executive officer Dom Courtney believed there were dozens of ziplines, including those for tourism and outdoor education purposes, installed statewide.
He said while the incident in the Daintree was tragic, there was some valuable advice the outdoor recreation sector could glean from what exactly went wrong.
“We really need to examine all the different systems that are out there,” he said.
“I think it’s great that workplace health and safety are getting all of this advice out there so quickly, so it doesn’t become a knee-jerk reaction from people.”
He said many operators would have already reviewed their own zipline systems in the immediate aftermath of the Daintree incident.
“Some will get external auditors in, but a lot of those zipline operators will also have internal expertise,” he said.
“They will be able to look at what they’ve got, these sort of (WHS) alerts, and have a look at whether they’re fully compliant, or even if their system is better than that, with redundancies built in for safety.”
Jungle Surfing has shut down its zipline during the ongoing investigation into the October 22 incident, aiming to have the flying fox operation reopened by April 1, subject to government approval. It says the firm is working with WHS during the investigation.
Originally published as ’We need to examine it all’: zipline operators react to Daintree fatal fall findings