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PETALING JAYA: Extreme sports enthusiasts have been urged to inspect the licenses of those who operate extreme sports facilities, following an accident in Kuala Kubu Bahru in which a woman broke her back.
Siti Halijah Abd Rahim, 33, suffered a spinal fracture while performing a swing; the rope snapped and crashed into a rock and fell into the river at the popular tourist destination.
The operator was reported to have been operating illegally without a license from the district council.
Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, a lawyer, said that extreme sports enthusiasts should ensure that the operators of such facilities are fully licensed or at least have sufficient insurance coverage for clients.
Enthusiasts should insist that service providers or operators present their operating licenses.
Public safety defender Lee Lam Thye said operating procedures need to be reviewed. “But if there are standard operating procedures, then more frequent and systematic monitoring should be practiced at intervals. The load limits must be adjusted, ”he told FMT.
Safety audits should also be conducted from time to time, he said, adding that safety must be taken seriously as it involves extreme sports.
Another lawyer, Rajesh Nagarajan, asked if the authorities had carried out regular checks.
He also said that service providers must offer insurance for customers to claim in the event of a mishap. In advanced countries, even martial arts instructors were insured in case of accidents causing injury.
Selangor state government media outlet Selangorkini quoted state executive councilor Mohd Khairuddin Othman as saying that the Kuala Kubu Bharu “swing” operator had been operating illegally without a license from the district council.
Khairuddin was further quoted as saying that the police had previously instructed the operator to shut down activities, but continued operations until the September 27 incident.
