Since March 2022, WorkSafe has responded to seven serious incidents where members of the public, including children, have sustained injuries after falling from artificial climbing structures.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said inspectors were visiting centres across the state to ensure they took all reasonable steps to protect their customers.
"It's extremely worrying that we continue to see people, including young children, being put in danger and getting injured on artificial climbing structures at play centres," Mr Jenkin said.
"Employers operating indoor climbing facilities know they're providing a high-risk activity, so there's no excuse for failing to have robust safety systems and control measures in place."
Four incidents have been the subject of comprehensive WorkSafe investigations, resulting in one formal caution and two successful criminal prosecutions with court-imposed fines totalling $100,000.
WorkSafe investigators found many of the incidents resulted from inadequate supervision.
"Operators must ensure staff members are trained to check harnesses before each climb, and that there are always enough of them rostered on to effectively supervise customers," Mr Jenkin said.
"The majority of risks with climbing walls at indoor play centres can be significantly reduced if there are a sufficient number of staff actively monitoring climbers as they use the features."
A Victorian mum faced the terrifying consequences of safety failures after her 11-year-old son was injured when he fell four-metres from the top of an indoor climbing feature in 2022.
"He raced his way up the top, slammed his hand on the buzzer and launched off - I can only imagine what was going through his head in those split seconds as he was falling, realising he wasn't actually strapped in," she said.
"We know it could have been a lot worse, but it was still a horribly traumatic experience, seeing my son in hospital and having to tell my husband he'd had a huge fall."
WorkSafe has published an updated safety alert which also highlights the importance of adequate staff training and inspecting and maintaining safety equipment.
Operators should also consider controls that ensure climbers are properly connected to auto belay systems, such as interlock devices and barrier mats at the base of the structures which help serve as a visual cue indicating when it is safe to climb.
However, Mr Jenkin emphasised that nothing could replace the critical role of active and effective supervision.
"Even with the best safety systems in place, young climbers in a state of excitement could still bypass controls or forget instructions," he said.
"With the school holidays fast approaching and families seeking indoor fun to escape the cold weather, play centre operators should be taking steps now to ensure a day of fun doesn't turn to tragedy."
The injured boy's mother said she hopes that highlighting the dangers of unsupervised climbing will help ensure other families don't have to go through the same thing.
"If there was someone, even just one staff member walking around that area monitoring it, they would have picked up that the rope had retracted and that my son wasn't connected," she said.
"Kids are kids - you can't just throw a harness on them, open the gate and leave them to it."
Tips for eliminating or reducing risks associated with climbing walls:
- Train employees to properly check and fit harnesses before each climb.
- Train employees to give a pre-activity briefing on safe climbing rules and ensure all users completely understand.
- Ensure climbers are actively supervised at all times based on their age and skill level.
- Have an appropriate employees-to-climbers radio and restrict access into the climbing area when the maximum number of climbers is reached.
- Ensure employees have a means of communications with each other.
- Set a minimum user age where an accompanying adult is required and refuse entry to underage children without an adult.
- Ensure climbers are wearing harnesses and are properly connected to the belay system.
- Ensure safety equipment such as barriers and interlocking devices are used to prevent unsafe climbing.
