Use of the Rope Bridge

• The Rope Bridge has been designed with consideration for the size and the body weight of the family participants, kids and grown-ups.

• Any moving parts have been designed to limit or eliminate the risk of any injury.

• There are no sharp edges within reach of the user.

• The installation is constructed and the equipment chosen so that openings that can be reached in normal use and do not create entrapment hazards.

• Free space does not contain any unprotected obstacles that a person manoeuvring or falling might crash into, other than the constituent parts of the Rope Bridge or the natural state of the surrounding environment.

• It is not possible to undo critical components without a tool.

• A Rope Bridge is designed and intended to be used as a walking journey, with a clearly sign-posted start and finish.

• Access into and exit from the Rope Bridge is from the ground, ground based platforms and 'board-walk' settings.

The Rope Bridge is suspended walkway experience on decking 'slats' that may also include access decking or platforms.

The whole Rope Bridge is intended as a peaceful, quiet leisure activity within a wetlands setting. Designed and intended for low noise, zero impact and principally as a new and unique way in which to observe and interact with the birds, trees and wetlands fauna. It is an educational and leisure experience for the whole family within the habitat to be used by adults and supervised children, also educational groups under supervision.

It is NOT an active system such as 'Go Ape' or a high ropes course and does not require any specific instruction other than safety guidance and the requirement of supervision of children at all times.

Weather restrictions

Extra care is required when using the whole Rope Bridge experience when wet from rainfall or in snow/icy or windy conditions.

This is advisory and represents a Health and Safety consideration that is no more or less relevant to any pathway, walkway or passage within the local environment, the Rope Bridge does not represent any additional risk with regards weather conditions other than the generally recognised risks of being under trees during the occasions of a lightening storm or the likelihood of a lightening storm.

A policy for obtaining and interpreting weather forecasts may be needed. It must be clear who is to do this, when it is to be done and what action they will take for a range of forecasts. Although the location may be generally open and possibly available to visitors in inclement weather conditions, there need to be specific decisions regarding use of a Rope Bridge when wet, icy or windy.

How many people can use the Rope Bridge

Treehouse Life Ltd. recommends a maximum of 14 people on the Rope Bridge at once, balancing safety and optimal enjoyment. Clear signage is advised to manage flow and enhance the user experience. This capacity guideline ensures a safe, leisurely adventure for all participants on the bridge.

Supervision

Children should always be under parental/guardian supervision. Adults and families with children who are always under full parental/guardian supervision may require operational supervision from the Client.

This level of supervision provides assistance to someone using the Rope Bridge when sought but may not provide pre-emptive assistance.

This means that each group will not be accompanied by the Client during their time with the Rope Bridge. Instead, the Client will roam around the vicinity of the Rope Bridge and can be summoned, if required, to communicate verbally with and to provide adequate assistance to participants.

The immediate safety, security and behaviour of participants is therefore largely the responsibility of the participants and/or their accompanying parents, leaders or teachers.

Occasionally, groups either as a visiting group or an educational group are under a level of supervision whereby the Client can clearly see the participants and intervene verbally. Such verbal intervention may be targeted at deliberate and dangerous misuse of the Rope Bridge, such as reckless behaviour, or inadvertent misuse such as deliberately bouncing or jumping. The Client will also be positioned and skilled to assist those struggling with getting around the Rope Bridge because of nervousness or limited physical ability. They will also be able to assist individuals down from the course should the need arise.

Clothing

Suitable clothing is advisory and recommended [in the form of suitable signage], although there are no restrictions other than what would normally be worn to a garden/park setting and/or a woodland activity. All participants have already walked some distance and entered into a woodland/garden/Adventure Park setting with all of its natural and potential dangers well before reaching the start [or end] of the Rope Bridge.

Comfortable clothing and fully laced trainers [or similar], no loose garments or clothes with abrasive elements like buckles or large buttons. Clothes that allow full movement through the whole body, for example long trousers/joggers, leggings or shorts, T-shirts/sweatshirts and fleeces.

Security and Emergency Plan

In commercial situations it will generally be appropriate to have a policy on ratios, maximum group size, use of staff/assistants, etc. This should take account of management difficulties on particular elements. There should be sufficient security of the whole area to ensure that only personnel under suitable supervision are able to use the facility.

There will be a need for checking any conditions that requires a participant to receive special attention, or who may be excluded from the activity. If this is the case this will call for additional personnel to be there and will need to be an appropriate system for making them available.

In addition to normal first aid facilities it may be appropriate to include scenario-based training, using actual elements, so staff can identify the problems as well as the solutions particular elements may present.

Participants not involved in an element may be harmed in a variety of ways. For example, participants 'waiting their turn' can wander off into the surrounding natural areas.

In the event of an injured person within the Rope Bridge, there should be an immediate assessment by the staff as to the ability of that person to be guided and instructed to exit the walkway. If they are unable to be guided across then the staff will need to enter the walkway. All relevant staff should be fully trained and familiar with access into the walkway. It may be that necessary first aid or treatment is administered within the walkway or support is given for exit of the facility. The whole area should adopt a non-smoking policy.