Background | Objectives | Current Initiatives | Operating Practices

To enable the ABC to focus its efforts three key objectives were identified.

1. Development and benchmarking of safe practice and quality management processes for operating climbing centres.

• To address the 'duty of care' to customers and staff.
• To promote safe climbing practices within the 'ethical scope' of the sport.
• To protect and educate management teams from exposing themselves to criminal negligence through ignorance and misunderstanding of the law.

This we are seeking to address by: -

• Formulating a set of ABC guidelines based on experience and best working practice
• Documenting an aide memoir to underpin compliance against the guidelines.
• Sharing experiences on accidents and near misses.
• Supporting the concept of an ABC endorsed accreditation scheme.

2. Production and promotion of a sustainable national climbing centre development strategy.

This objective was identified to support the first objective. In that it recognises that if a climbing centre is to be professionally managed then it has to be a viable business unit. So that it is able to invest in quality staff that are trained to execute their responsibilities on behalf of customer safety.

It was also recognised that many centres had been set-up in a manner that would require further investment to ensure that they were able to provide a safe yet challenging environment that met the requirements of their customers over the longer term.

Specific areas to be addressed here include getting the BMC to operate a transparent process for supporting grant applications especially where public funds are being applied for.

3. Promotion and development of sustainable and synergistic ABC members network.

This objective is about gaining benefit from operating as a holistic unit e.g.

• Sharing knowledge
• Bulk purchasing