KELOWNA–The BC Safety Authority has issued its report into the March, 2014 chair lift crash at Crystal Mountain.
Four people were injured when three chairs on the Blue double lift crashed to the ground.
The report found that the counterweight used to keep correct tension on the haul rope was in contact with the ground. This reduced tension made the system more susceptible to swinging chairs.
On the day of the incident, excessive chair swing caused the haul rope to disengage at the second tower, letting the three chairs fall.
The BC Safety Authority made seven recommendations to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
The entire report can be viewed here.
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Recommendation #1: All tension systems that use a suspended counterweight should incorporate a means for responsible personnel to visually confirm that the counterweight is suspended freely.
Recommendation #2: All tension systems that use a suspended counterweight within a pit should incorporate a means to shelter the counterweight and the pit from contamination that may interfere with the free suspension of the counterweight.
Recommendation #3: Conduct annual inspections of the counterweight and the area beneath counterweight to ensure the integrity of the counterweight and required clearances are maintained.
Recommendations to Owners and Operators of Passenger Ropeways Recommendation #4: Establish a system to train and certify ropeway mechanics to promote their understanding of the system elements necessary for safe operation and how to inspect and maintain those safety elements.
Recommendations to Canadian Standards Association Recommendation #5: Evaluate the Canadian requirements for the effectiveness of rope catching devices related to capture of the haul rope in the event that it departs from tower sheave assembly equipment.
Recommendation #6: Owners of existing Mueller passenger ropeways, who have not utilized the previously identified modification to the leading edge of tower and station sheave assemblies, should consult with the manufacturer and a professional engineer to determine if the modification should be implemented to prevent possible deropements.
Recommendation #7: Owners of existing Mueller passenger ropeways, where an intermediate tower has not been added to the system between the station tower near the loading point and the following tower, should consult with the manufacturer and a professional engineer to determine if the installation of an intermediate tower should be added to decrease carrier swing susceptibility in the system.
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