"A man in his 20s fell to his death while abseiling at a popular location in the Blue Mountains on Friday morning and emergency services are now working to retrieve his body from the Katoomba Cliffs. Emergency services were called to the abseiling spot at Malaita Wall about 8am after the man fell while abseiling with a group of people. Witnesses provided medical assistance before paramedics arrived but he died at the scene." - https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/man ... 5bnyh.html
Not sure if anyone has any additional details? the 1st abseil is described as having a sharpish edge
Malaita Wall accident (10/7/2022)
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T2
- Site Admin
- Posts: 380
- Joined: 15 May 2018, 10:33
- Full name: Tim Vollmer
- City: Springwood
- State: New South Wales
Re: Malaita Wall accident (10/7/2022)
Sounds like the deceased man was training to be an outdoor guide and the trip was part of his TAFE training/assessment. The safety standards/practices of the TAFE outdoor adventure training are usually extremely high. It will be interesting to eventually here what actually happened. I haven't seen anything that indicates whether it was gear failure or personal error. My understanding is that TAFE guides usually have people abseil on one line and belay with a second, which should make a fatal fall almost impossible.
https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au ... a/?cs=1432
https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au ... a/?cs=1432
Re: Malaita Wall accident (10/7/2022)
Thanks T2!
Never tried to request details of an accident (maybe some have some experience?), which in this case could be immediately useful to improve safety for some of us, we were indeed planning to take less experienced people thru that route, but sounds like the best way currently would be to either
a) Just go down yourself to inspect while expecting everything to be hostile
b) knowing someone who knows a mate who's into the current process
c) cancel the trip
In terms of public resources, seems like there are only not-so-easy paid-for options, would love to hear otherwise:
1) FOI request via Safe Work in a few weeks? initial request free but $15/hour to get data, https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/ac ... nformation
2) Coroners report in maybe 1 year? $98 for a transcript, https://www.coroners.nsw.gov.au/coroner ... -fees.html
Cheers
Never tried to request details of an accident (maybe some have some experience?), which in this case could be immediately useful to improve safety for some of us, we were indeed planning to take less experienced people thru that route, but sounds like the best way currently would be to either
a) Just go down yourself to inspect while expecting everything to be hostile
b) knowing someone who knows a mate who's into the current process
c) cancel the trip
In terms of public resources, seems like there are only not-so-easy paid-for options, would love to hear otherwise:
1) FOI request via Safe Work in a few weeks? initial request free but $15/hour to get data, https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/ac ... nformation
2) Coroners report in maybe 1 year? $98 for a transcript, https://www.coroners.nsw.gov.au/coroner ... -fees.html
Cheers
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T2
- Site Admin
- Posts: 380
- Joined: 15 May 2018, 10:33
- Full name: Tim Vollmer
- City: Springwood
- State: New South Wales
Re: Malaita Wall accident (10/7/2022)
I don't think there's any issue with the route. If there was, a popular / easily accessible spot like this would have been closed by NPWS (like they did with Wollangambe 1).
Almost all abseil accidents come down to human error. I can only think of one anchor failure in recent years, and that was still human error (someone had used a sewn sling girth hitched around a tree, and someone else blindly clipped into it).
I don't think there is anything that would make this abseil trip any more dangerous than any other multipitch abseil.
As for your question, it's not easy getting that info. FOI is a slow, painful process. Coroner's reports can be better, but that won't be any time soon.
Almost all abseil accidents come down to human error. I can only think of one anchor failure in recent years, and that was still human error (someone had used a sewn sling girth hitched around a tree, and someone else blindly clipped into it).
I don't think there is anything that would make this abseil trip any more dangerous than any other multipitch abseil.
As for your question, it's not easy getting that info. FOI is a slow, painful process. Coroner's reports can be better, but that won't be any time soon.
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T2
- Site Admin
- Posts: 380
- Joined: 15 May 2018, 10:33
- Full name: Tim Vollmer
- City: Springwood
- State: New South Wales
Re: Malaita Wall accident (10/7/2022)
Okay, so I've heard details from a few reliable sources so pretty confident I know enough of what occurred to highlight some of the lessons that we should all learn from this tragic accident. (Note: I've edited the 'what happened' section based on some feedback requesting some of the details be removed while formal investigations are ongoing.)
What happened:
As previously reported, the accident occurred during a formal TAFE assessment. After meeting up at the parking area, some of the students who had already passed their assessment went ahead to rig the first two abseils.
Two ropes were were joined together to rig the first 45m drop. The first person to abseil ran a single strand of the rope through his descender. (He may have been intending to abseil single rope because he assumed the two strands had been isolated). Unfortunately, he attached to the strand that was on the same side as the knot joining the two ropes (had he attached to the other strand, the knot would likely have caught in the anchor and prevented the fall).
Once he weighted the rope, it immediately began running through the anchor and he fell. (He may have been unable to load the rope before disconnecting his safety tether because this anchor is close to the edge with limited room to work.)
The rope ran through the anchor, causing him to fall the full distance of the first abseil. As the abseil line naturally takes you to the side of the pinnacle you land on, he continued falling down the second, 28m abseil.
It appears this accident was the result of human error as there was no failure of the anchor or other equipment.
Lessons:
1) Inspect. Before abseiling, you should always inspect the anchor, along with how the rope has been rigged. Ensure you understand the rigging and are comfortable it is safe. Make sure your chosen abseiling technique is suitable for the rigging you have encountered.
2) Don't assume. You should never assume an anchor has been rigged a certain way just because that's how you may have previously done things. In this case, there may have been an assumption that the ropes were isolated or blocked and it was safe to abseil on a single strand. A visual inspection would have identified this was not the case. At that point, it would have been possible to abseil on both ropes, rerig the abseil to isolate the strands, or use a block ('biner block or knot block) then abseil on the blocked strand.
3) Safely load the rope. While this isn't always possible / appropriate (depending on anchor location, etc), in a situation like this it is worth taking the time to get on rope, then load it, before unclipping your safety tether from the anchor. An adjustable tether lets you do this quite close to the anchor.
4) Buddy checks. Whether it's a formal thing, or just something casual, take a moment to look at what the other members of your group are doing. If you see something unsafe, an error with how they rigged something, or simply a hazard they've overlooked, say something. A second set of eyes double checking life-critical decisions is always a good thing.
5) Communicate. If you rig a drop, communicate with your group how it has been rigged and why to ensure they can make safe choices about how they choose to abseil. (Note: this is no substitute for inspecting and testing the rigging yourself before committing to it.)
6) Experience can breed complacency. The most dangerous times for rope activities are when you're a beginner (you don't know what you don't know) and once you're experienced enough to get complacent. We all cut corners from time to time because we're over-confident. This accident highlights how even a simple, trade-route abseiling trip can turn deadly. Don't let experience make you so confident and comfortable that you just roll through without doing the above checks.
7) Fatigue. Early in the morning, or late in the afternoon, we're often not thinking clearly because we're tired. Just like tiredness massively increases the risks of car accidents, it does the same in the bush. People who are tired often don't think as clearly, they do things on auto-pilot, or they start rushing. It is unclear if this was an issue here, but there's certainly been many rope accidents where fatigue was a contributing factor.
What happened:
As previously reported, the accident occurred during a formal TAFE assessment. After meeting up at the parking area, some of the students who had already passed their assessment went ahead to rig the first two abseils.
Two ropes were were joined together to rig the first 45m drop. The first person to abseil ran a single strand of the rope through his descender. (He may have been intending to abseil single rope because he assumed the two strands had been isolated). Unfortunately, he attached to the strand that was on the same side as the knot joining the two ropes (had he attached to the other strand, the knot would likely have caught in the anchor and prevented the fall).
Once he weighted the rope, it immediately began running through the anchor and he fell. (He may have been unable to load the rope before disconnecting his safety tether because this anchor is close to the edge with limited room to work.)
The rope ran through the anchor, causing him to fall the full distance of the first abseil. As the abseil line naturally takes you to the side of the pinnacle you land on, he continued falling down the second, 28m abseil.
It appears this accident was the result of human error as there was no failure of the anchor or other equipment.
Lessons:
1) Inspect. Before abseiling, you should always inspect the anchor, along with how the rope has been rigged. Ensure you understand the rigging and are comfortable it is safe. Make sure your chosen abseiling technique is suitable for the rigging you have encountered.
2) Don't assume. You should never assume an anchor has been rigged a certain way just because that's how you may have previously done things. In this case, there may have been an assumption that the ropes were isolated or blocked and it was safe to abseil on a single strand. A visual inspection would have identified this was not the case. At that point, it would have been possible to abseil on both ropes, rerig the abseil to isolate the strands, or use a block ('biner block or knot block) then abseil on the blocked strand.
3) Safely load the rope. While this isn't always possible / appropriate (depending on anchor location, etc), in a situation like this it is worth taking the time to get on rope, then load it, before unclipping your safety tether from the anchor. An adjustable tether lets you do this quite close to the anchor.
4) Buddy checks. Whether it's a formal thing, or just something casual, take a moment to look at what the other members of your group are doing. If you see something unsafe, an error with how they rigged something, or simply a hazard they've overlooked, say something. A second set of eyes double checking life-critical decisions is always a good thing.
5) Communicate. If you rig a drop, communicate with your group how it has been rigged and why to ensure they can make safe choices about how they choose to abseil. (Note: this is no substitute for inspecting and testing the rigging yourself before committing to it.)
6) Experience can breed complacency. The most dangerous times for rope activities are when you're a beginner (you don't know what you don't know) and once you're experienced enough to get complacent. We all cut corners from time to time because we're over-confident. This accident highlights how even a simple, trade-route abseiling trip can turn deadly. Don't let experience make you so confident and comfortable that you just roll through without doing the above checks.
7) Fatigue. Early in the morning, or late in the afternoon, we're often not thinking clearly because we're tired. Just like tiredness massively increases the risks of car accidents, it does the same in the bush. People who are tired often don't think as clearly, they do things on auto-pilot, or they start rushing. It is unclear if this was an issue here, but there's certainly been many rope accidents where fatigue was a contributing factor.
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Richard Delaney
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 14 Jan 2023, 13:57
- Full name: Richard Delaney
- City: Katoomba
- State: New South Wales
Re: Malaita Wall accident (10/7/2022)
Hi Tim,
Thank you for making the effort in the name of learning and education however…
I am afraid you have some gross errors in your “What Happened” section.
Your whole comment is inappropriate especially given that the formal investigation and findings have not yet finished.
Please remove this as the errors you have published will be rather upsetting to many who were directly and indirectly involved.
Richard
Thank you for making the effort in the name of learning and education however…
I am afraid you have some gross errors in your “What Happened” section.
Your whole comment is inappropriate especially given that the formal investigation and findings have not yet finished.
Please remove this as the errors you have published will be rather upsetting to many who were directly and indirectly involved.
Richard
Re: Malaita Wall accident (10/7/2022)
Hi Tim
I value your desire to learn and help others to learn from a tragedy.
However, I believe your valuable lessons would be better placed in a separate post, perhaps simply 'Lessons for Canyoning'.
I think that you are falsely anchoring your lessons to this accident. What is known (and still unknown) about the accident should not lead to this connection being made.
You risk generating a false history of the day.
I value your desire to learn and help others to learn from a tragedy.
However, I believe your valuable lessons would be better placed in a separate post, perhaps simply 'Lessons for Canyoning'.
I think that you are falsely anchoring your lessons to this accident. What is known (and still unknown) about the accident should not lead to this connection being made.
You risk generating a false history of the day.