When using an organisation for adventure based activities it is important to ensure you are receiving a quality program for your students that is not only exciting and fun but also is delivered by an organisation that has the infrastructure and process to ensure quality is achieved. At Rock Solid Adventure we have developed ourselves to be an industry leader in safety and OH&S. Some areas you may need to consider when contracting a company like ours are:

Insurance: This has been a hot topic over the past few years and now it is one of the major overheads for most adventure based companies. Rock Solid Adventure has secured APRA approved insurance. APRA (Australian Prudential Regulation Authority) is the prudential regulator of the Australian financial services industry. It oversees banks, credit unions, building societies, general insurance and reinsurance companies, life insurance, friendly societies, and most members of the superannuation industry. Some companies are insured offshore with non APRA approved underwriters which may mean a client could be at risk of not receiving any financial help if an accident occurs. We are insured not only for public liability but also for professional indemnity.

Australian Standards: For our rockclimbing and abseiling activities we follow the OH&S Code of Conduct Act for work at heights. Often people think work at heights is only for the construction and building industry but the actual definition is any work carried out on a site where the height is greater than 2.4m. This is extended to rockclimbing and abseiling and at Rock Solid Adventure we ensure we meet the Australian Standards for Work at Height.

Some examples of how we achieve this are: We use energy absorbers for all workers who are working on top of the cliff where a fall of 600mm or greater might occur. Safety lines are set up for clients on the up/down tracks for Morialta and the Bluff. We carry out site inspections of the areas we visit and notify NPWS of any changes in rock conditions that may be a hazard to users.

Technical ability: It is vital that the senior instructor for rockclimbing or the business owner has a sound knowledge of equipment and procedures. Again this is an important OH&S criteria. Just having a qualification is sometimes not enough. For example some qualifying bodies in Australia only assess leaders and instructors on very basic rescue techniques or the technical knowledge of equipment is glossed over. Ian Richards, has been an Officer Member of the Institute of Engineers and has knowledge and training in quality assurance systems, equipment safety, and is also an instructor with the Professional Association of Climbing Instructors.

Kayaking expeditions

Rockclimbing

Caving