Sir Chris Bonington has spoken out against a recent HSE (Health
and Safety Executive) proposal insisting that double ropes always be
used for climbing instruction.
Writing in today's Guardian G2 section, Bonington comments: 'The
climbing community believed sense would prevail in the EUs directive
Temporary Work at Height'. It hasn't'. This is despite the HSE
visiting the National Outdoor Centre at Plas y Brenin in North Wales
and consulting leading mountaineering experts.
Britain's best known climber and unofficial media spokesperson for
the sport, continues to point out that while double-rope use is the
norm on multipitch routes in the UK, it's not necessarily the best
practice when instructing beginners on small crags where it can be
slower and more complicated than using a single rope.
He emphasises that 'experienced instructors' should be allowed to
make their own decisions based on specific situations rather than
being constrained by a set of rigid rules.
At the root of the problem, says Bonington, is the desire of the
bureaucrats to 'bundle safety regulations for two different
activities into a single package' - the proposed regulations are
intended to apply both to climbing and vertical-access work on
building sites. Mad. Quite mad.
You can read Bonington's full article here.
For a fuller explanation of the HSE initiative, see this
story in the Telegraph
Mark Fraser
