Photo Credit: Town of Cary / Parks, Recreation and Cultural Rescources Department
Challenge ropes courses are designed in all shapes and sizes, and each is unique to its location and approach. Some courses are recreation- and camp-focused, while others are involved with coaching and consulting. Regardless of the focus, all participants expect to be safe, have fun, and leave with a sense of accomplishment. To ensure participants get the most from a program, it is important to create the safest possible environment for them to be challenged. While safety cannot be guaranteed, annual inspections, internal inspections, detailed record-keeping, maintenance and retirement schedules, and understanding the potential dangers that may occur are only a few ways to provide the safest possible program.
Decide On Times For Inspection
A program and its facilitators must provide elements, equipment, and space that are well-maintained. An annual inspection performed by a certified inspector will verify that elements and equipment are in proper working order as well as address potential risks. The Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT, www.acctinfo.org) is a leading organization in the challenge-course industry. ACCT is a resource for finding current standards or locating a professional vendor to offer training and building expertise, and someone to conduct an inspection. Performed by a certified outside agency, an inspection ensures that a course meets standards and is structurally sound.
In addition to the annual inspection, internal inspections let staff members identify potential issues on a regular basis. Storms, insects, vandals, and other outside forces can affect the status or integrity of a course at any time. Performing an internal inspection is a great resource to identify these issues, concerns, or maintenance needs between annual inspections. Internal inspections can be completed quarterly, monthly, pre-program, or at a regular interval needed to monitor course and equipment integrity.