Safety

Highest Safety Standards

All participants are fitted with a safety harness and complete a safety briefing and training circuit with an instructor. Our experienced instructors are always close by to offer support and guidance during your Zipit experience. Our Instructors are located on the ground around the park, and if at any point you do not want to go any further on a circuit, an instructor will be there to offer guidance or bring you back to the ground safely. It is important to read the signs at the start of each activity.

Construction

Our French construction crew have built more than 90 courses worldwide, including parks in Europe, the West Indies and South Korea. The platforms are built around trees at various heights (ranging from 2 metres to 20 metres off the ground) and connected with a range of activities to allow the participant move from one tree to another. The construction company adheres to EN 15567-1 Sports and recreational facilities – Ropes courses – Part 1: Construction and Safety Requirements.

Governing Body

Zipit Forest Adventures is a member of the European Ropes Course Association (ERCA) and adheres to EN 15567-2 Sports and recreational facilities – Ropes courses – Part 2: Operation Requirements.

Operation Requirements

This European Standard applies to the operation of ropes courses and specifies the operational requirements to ensure an appropriate level of safety and service when used for either recreation, training, education or therapeutic purposes.

Safety Harness

Our harness design protects you from accidentally unclipping from the circuit, ensuring that your safety is paramount.

High Ropes Training

All of our Instructors are European Rope Course Association (ERCA) trained with the following certifications

  • ERCA Instructor Training.
  • ERCA Site Specific Rescue Training.

ERCA Training is undertaken by either our own staff who have been trained as a Trainer or an external UK specialist company. All final assessments and certifications are undertaken by the external company.

Additional Training

  • First Aid with CPR.
  • Manual Handling.
  • CliC-It Lanyard Maintenance Training.
  • Maintenance Training.

Staff Assessments

Regular staff assessments are performed, assessing instructor abilities, rescue techniques and delivery of safety instructions.

Working with Children

All our staff have undertaken an on-line child protection course and are garda vetted.

Customer Safety

We have a policy of informing participants of the nature of risk associated with our activities through our Waiver and safety rules.

Our Safety Briefing (approx. 45 minutes) is carried out by our qualified instructors and is mandatory for all customers wishing to participate on our courses. Our instructors monitor customers completing the Safety Briefing circuit and are patrolling throughout the park should any assistance be needed during your visit.

Our minimum age requirement is strictly enforced. All children under 18 must be supervised by an adult, either participating or on the ground.

Through strict adherence to the ERCA requirements and continual investment in the most current Personal Protective Equipment we are confident that all risks are minimised. Our advanced safety harnesses ensure that customers are always connected to our safety system whilst traversing the treetop activities.

Safety Checks

Course

  • Instructors navigate each circuit every morning before opening, as if they were a customer. They digitally sign a spreadsheet to confirm the circuit has been checked and this is then digitally signed by the Duty Manager who notes and addresses any issues.

Harness

  • Completed before and after every use by the instructors whose names are logged and checked by the Duty Manager who signs off. Any harnesses which do not pass the highest standard safety checks are put out of service. An annual inspection is also carried out in accordance with EN15567-2.

Rescue Bags

  • All equipment inside our Rescue Bags are regularly checked and devices function tested.

Maintenance

  • Our Instructors check the course equipment thoroughly to identify and address any issues. These checks are in addition to the daily checks.

Site Assessment

  • Performed as required, primarily during peak season. This is a general assessment of the site by the Operations Manager including safety checks and instructor performance.

Annual Checks

Arboriculturist Check

  • Completed annually or as required, checking the health and suitability of the trees on the course by a European specialist company.

Course Check

  • A European Specialist company annually checks the structural elements of the course.

Course Safety Equipment

 

  • Fallstops and Base Jumps are serviced by the manufacturer or a service provider trained by the manufacturer.