Assisted Braking Devices vs ‘ATCs’ - Opinion

[Originally posted on Facebook, 2 Jul 2017]



[Some comments or quotes have been edited for brevity.]

BACKGROUND

Recently, a few climbing gyms in Singapore instituted a policy where only assisted braking devices (ABDs) like the Edelrid MegaJul may be used by climbers visiting these gyms.

The reasons are explained at length in the website of one of the gyms, Climb Central: http://climbcentral.sg/2017/02/why-the-change/

It should be noted that other belay devices e.g. ATC or tubular belay devices are not banned as such, but users have to be ‘verified’ by the climbing gym before being allowed into the gym, and then only for certain types of climbing activity.


PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE

When this issue broke out, I heard a variety of responses while in conversation with several climber friends. It got me thinking so much so that I felt I needed to put my thoughts down in a hopefully coherent way.

I should state that it is not my intention to tell the climbing gyms involved how to run their business, nor is it my intention to criticise this policy.

It will be apparent when reading this article that it lacks technical information or quotes from research studies done. This is merely an opinion piece - my ‘qualification’ being an outdoor activities practitioner for close to 20 years; during which time I have seen my fair share of supervising climbing and belaying activities on natural and artificial rock walls as well as high ropes courses.

There may be readers out there who are less informed about the nuances of safety and risk management - perhaps after reading this (and considering information/knowledge from other sources) they can make better decisions when participating in outdoor or adventure activities.


RESPONSES

A scan of the comments and responses to the ABD policy on Climb Central’s Facebook page reveals an abundance of knowledge and experience in the climbing community. For example, Li Jiexun had this to say:

I have been highly vocal against the banning of friction-based tubular belay devices. However, I am not against Assisted Belay Devices (ABDs). In fact, I no longer own any pure friction-based belay devices and use ABDs exclusively. I see the benefits of ABDs, but I also believe the proficient use of the most fundamental of belay devices must be attained before migrating to an ABD. In fact most ABDs operate as friction-based devices in the event their assist mechanism fails… 

Instead of having to spend time verifying users in their ABDs, staff will actively look out for users using ATCs. If the user seems proficient enough...in its use, the staff will approach the user and check if the user has actively used the friction-based device for at least 6 months to 1 year. If so, the staff can engage the user in migration to an ABD.

From Francis Somera:

...I advocate for the growth of the climbing community and the responsible progression of it. I frown on people who hand out level 2s like candy, and delight in new interest for people who want to try the sport. 

Rather than training on the responsible use of an ATC, you have (1) raised the barrier for entry for new climbers not just in training but for gear required, (2) opened the floor to climbers to commit even more dangerous mistakes on ABDs, (3) shifted responsibility from a climber to yours (the gym) for accidents caused by ABDs because you enforced, trained or verified, and (4) create a situation where a new generation of climbers wouldn't know the fundamentals from ATC handling -- which has applications cutting across levels 1 through 3.

From Amanda Tay:

Having been a safety representative for two companies, I have learnt that you can 'bubble wrap' a person with the best safeguards, safety gear, preventive actions... And amazingly they will still find a way to get a cut...However if you are using the Hierarchy of Controls [https://oshwiki.eu/.../c/c9/Table1_Hierarchy_of_Controls.jpg], you are probably thinking that you are doing the best safeguard, which is 'elimination or substitution'... 

We all know it's not about the safety gear. To say that other countries have better stats having switched to (ABDs) is not a good measure that it will do well here. In other countries they have much better communication between climber and belayer (as we learn in level 1 and 2 but is sadly never practised), better awareness of safety (signs everywhere with reminders again and again)... 

At the end of the day it is about the attitude of the belayer (talking and fooling around?) and the climber (If the belayer tells the climber to slow down... Slow down...). [From here, the writer describes some of her climbing experiences in Germany, USA and Australia.] 

So long as you have a system in a person's hands. Something could always go wrong...Rather than implementing a move to ABDs, a move to check that the person can use the device they have (which all of us have which is an ATC) correctly should be done instead. Rather than expecting everyone to use only the floor belay, if a person has a belay device, check he knows how to use it, witness and certify he can use it.”

Another response to this ABD policy was an online petition “No Mandatory ABD in SG Climbing Gyms”: https://www.change.org/p/halil-no-mandatory-abd-in-sg-climbing-gyms?recruiter=681591290&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

The petition questioned the wisdom of instituting such a policy. Some petition signers expressed views like Gifford Yap:

While the intentions behind this ruling may be good, it also comes across as draconian, autocratic, and failing to address the issues which spurred this decision in the first place.
No doubt, there are merits to the (proper) use of ABDs, and in an emergency it can, unlike an ATC, save the climber’s life. The gyms are reasoning that climbing mishaps have spiked in recent years, but within the context of a gym setting, how many of these were a result of human error (preventable on the human’s part) instead of emergencies over which the belayers have had no control? 

I am doubtful of the efficacy of this ban in eliminating or even reducing the likelihood of human error. Give the right tool to the wrong person, and chances are it will be used wrongly. The gyms argue that it does not cost much nor inconvenience us greatly to learn how to use a new and safer tool, and that the benefits far outweigh the costs. If errant belaying is the cause of these mishaps and not uncontrollable emergencies, it does not matter if one has the best equipment – negligence, bad judgement, carelessness, and flippant attitudes will still rear their ugly heads and such mishaps are still going to happen, perhaps even more than ever. 

As paying customers, I believe that is fair for us to have a say in this (to my knowledge, the larger climbing community was not surveyed). Many among us have used ATCs in the gyms (highly-controlled environments) for many years with no incidents.
To be fair to the gyms as well, I believe that should accidents occur due to errors committed on our part (whether with an ATC or ABD), we should not, would not, and cannot blame them. I do not see the case for liability here. 

It is not entirely about the cost or convenience, it is about complacency...To be fair, your house your rules – ethically speaking, we should respect that, and I believe most of us do. We just can’t find a way to understand or agree to such a ruling. I urge the gyms to reconsider. 

However this moves forward, the case for safety and due diligence to be practiced among climbers, belayers, instructors, and staff alike are now under much stronger light and scrutiny. Let us all do our part, and maybe we can enjoy the sport we love for many more years to come.

Also Daniel Tan:

I agree with the point that it’s possible for people to become complacent, developing bad habits which may cause other problems to arise in the future like poor safety behaviour.

THE ROLE OF USERS

The opening statement in Climb Central’s “Why The Change” article says: "Here’s some insight into Climb Central’s decision-making process on the move to introduce assisted braking device (ABDs) and improve belaying standards."

The phrase "improve belaying standards" is troublesome, because it implies that only ABDs can achieve this. Admittedly, this is nitpicking with semantics and there is further elaboration on the policy elsewhere in the website, but all responsible activity providers should exercise care in managing how information is presented and interpreted.

More often than not, human error is a key cause of accidents/incidents in outdoor and adventure activities. Certainly, it is a difficult task to manage a busy climbing gym; to expect zero accidents or incidents is near impossible. Throw into the mix a wide diversity of users and one might wonder why anyone in their right mind would even consider opening a climbing gym at all!

Looking at how Climb Central has communicated its stance and the responses to it, it may be reasonable to ask if these issues have sufficiently been addressed:

Attitude of gym users

• Do they respect gym rules?
• Are they ready and willing to cooperate with gym staff?

Role of gym staff

• Outside of the verification sessions, do the staff perform adequate monitoring of users?
• Are they sufficiently empowered to guide, remind or even remove errant users?

Climbing gym culture

• Do users (especially the experienced ones) understand that their individual actions impact the community and evolution of the climbing culture as a whole?

Another practical question: If the ABDs are available free-of-charge at the gym, would this not lead to abuse or neglect by users? Of course, this in itself is a very simplistic question.

CONCLUSION

We can safely assume that the decision to implement this policy was not taken lightly. There is little doubt that the key reason for this policy is the gym users’ safety, although how safety is ensured will differ amongst them. Climbing enthusiasts have a choice to visit other gyms - don’t just ‘vote with your wallet’; go where you feel you might be sufficiently challenged, have a good time and stay safe doing so.

Ultimately, it is not just the users who suffer the consequences in the event of an accident or incident - it is also the business owners who have invested time, energy and money to bring their passion to a wider audience.


Further recommended reading

https://www.climbing.com/gear/catch-this-a-close-look-at-assisted-braking-belay-devices/