ERCA received following notice from Headrush Technologies to be shard with the ropes course industry:

Quick Jump Update from Headrush Technologies

"Greetings,

As you may have heard, there was an incident involving a QUICKjump device at an aerial adventure park in Grenoble, France over the August 1 weekend. Our thoughts go out to the injured party and his family, and we are thankful to hear that the injuries are not life threatening. 

The investigation into this incident is just beginning and many facts are not known, but we will work with everyone involved in the investigation to the fullest extent to find out what occurred. We do not want to comment further until the investigation is complete. However, we felt this was a vital opportunity to emphasize the importance of regularly scheduled inspection and maintenance.

The QUICKjump device is used throughout the world and has a flawless safety record when installed and used properly. Due to significant engineering redundancies and internal/external quality assurance programs, we don’t foresee any need to remove any devices from service.

Head Rush Technologies is confident in the design of the QUICKjump, which complies with the prevailing ASTM F2291-11: Standard Practice for Design of Amusement Rides and Devices and ASTM 846-92: Standard Guide for Testing Performance of Amusement Rides and Device safety regulations. The spectra webbings used in the QUICKjump don’t break under a singular load impact within approved parameters. These webbings are rated at 15.6 kN for the standard QUICKjump and 16kN for the QUICKjump XL, which equate to a breaking strengths of 3,500 lbs (1,588 kg) and 3,600 lbs (1,632 kg), respectively. Conversely, the heaviest allowable participant (130 kg) on a QUICKjump falling the maximum distance generates less than a 2kN (450 pounds or 204 kg) impact force. Due to this built-in strength, a majority of the longitudinal fibers would have to be missing or been severely damaged to allow failure at the largest allowable impact load. Additionally, the QUICKjump webbing utilizes multiple redundant stitching points throughout the Overload Protection Assembly (OPA) yielding a greater strength than the webbing itself.

The QUICKjump requires daily, weekly, and six month inspections, as well as routine maintenance and normal replacement of service items and wearing parts such as the nozzle, webbing line and carabiner. The QUICKjump also requires a yearly recertification. At no time should the yearly recertification be substituted for the daily or weekly inspections. The purpose of these inspections is to evaluate any wear, damage or, worst-case scenario, tampering with the device. Webbing inspections/integrity is a key responsibility of the operator and is a field replaceable item.

It is important to always mount the QUICKjump within 15° of vertical with the nozzle pointing downwards and the webbing line exiting the bottom of the device, and that all paths and connection points are free of sharp edges and high friction surfaces that may damage the webbing line. Participants, when ready to descend, should step straight down off the platform and always descend feet first, using their feet to fend off any obstacles and prepare for landing. Acrobatics (flips, dives, etc.) are not authorized when using the QUICKjump device.

The Overload Protection Assembly (OPA) is a critical component of the QUICKjump webbing line. It should never be modified or prevented from proper deployment as it is an important safety feature. The OPA must be inspected daily to assure the assembly is contained and has not been deployed. Additionally, a weekly inspection of the interior condition of the Overload Protection Assembly (OPA) is required. The OPA jacket must be opened and the entire assembly checked to make sure that no threads are broken and that the webbing is in good condition. If any broken threads are found, the webbing line must be replaced immediately. Required inspection of the OPA dictates that no objects such as tape or webbings should be wrapped around this critical component.

We hope this message helps you better understand the requirements of maintaining the QUICKjump device in proper working order and clarifies the extensive testing and engineering that go into all of Head Rush Technologies’ devices. We strongly encourage you to share this important information with your QUICKjump customers and emphasize with each the importance of regular and thorough inspections. As more information becomes available on the situation in France we will share updates.

Sincerely,

Bill Carlson (Director of Channel Sales)
Head Rush Technologies
www.headrushtech.com