HILO — Repairs are under way to the zip line platforms at the course where a construction worker fell to his death in September when a 30-foot platform collapsed. But an engineer observing the work says other zip lines on the Big Island may contain the same fatal flaws.
HILO — Repairs are under way to the zip line platforms at the course where a construction worker fell to his death in September when a 30-foot platform collapsed. But an engineer observing the work says other zip lines on the Big Island may contain the same fatal flaws.
Paul R. Weber, of Honolulu-based Meta Engineering, says that he has re-engineered the previous safety precautions used to stabilize the towers at Honolii Mountain Outpost in Paukaa, as they did not take into account the soil conditions along the Hamakua Coast, where a deep layer of “Pahala ash” provides little solid footing for support poles and anchorage systems that ensure the structures remain upright. Few engineers are aware of the situation, he said, which affects all manner of construction projects in the area.
Construction workers with Foundation Mechanics Inc. in Honolulu have been contracted by Hilo-based ecotourism company KapohoKine Adventures to replace the anchors used to stabilize platforms on all eight zip lines at Honolii Mountain Outpost, Weber said. The crew is made up of “hand picked specialists who know how to anchor cables to bedrock,” he wrote in a Wednesday morning email.
“I designed all the repairs, and the work is being done under my observation,” he explained in a phone interview from Honolulu. “It’s a fairly substantial construction contract. They (KapohoKine) are spending a lot of money. … The repairs have to be made. They (Foundation Mechanics workers) will be out there for about three or four weeks.
“My investigations show that the anchors have to go to bedrock,” he added. “(Now) we’re going to bedrock, to the 30-foot range.”
Weber would not say directly that the work done previously by Experiential Resources Inc./GoZip Hawaii was flawed, but his assertion that the only way to ensure that the platforms are safe is to drill down 30 feet to bedrock certainly supports that notion. A preliminary report prepared by Hawaii Engineering Group for the Hawaii Police Department’s investigation of the accident took issue with the contractor’s work, saying that the anchors and poles had not been buried deep enough. Measurements found that the support poles had only been set 5 feet down in the soil. The report also pointed out several deficiencies in the approved plans for the zip lines, and differences between the plans and the finished product. The plans had called for the poles to be sunk 7.5 feet in the soil.
Weber said that if anchors are not sunk to the bedrock, the loose soil can give way, causing the failure of the structure, as was the case with the fatal accident, according to the police report.
The Honolii Mountain Outpost zip line wasn’t the only course on the island that did not take the soil characteristics into account, Weber added. “This is also true for certain of the other zip lines in the Hamakua area,” he said.
Weber said other Big Isle zip line operators have contacted him and asked him questions about soil testing, foundations and platform footing since the Sept. 21 accident.
“They’ve asked questions, and there’s concern out there,” he said.
Attempts to contact KapohoKine owners Gary Marrow and Tony DeLellis for comment were unsuccessful. John White, president of contractor Experiential Resources Inc./GoZip Hawaii, which erected the platforms, also did not return calls.
Weber’s son, David Weber of Foundation Mechanics, verified that he had been contracted by KapohoKine, but said he was not authorized to discuss the work he was doing until a future meeting in person with representatives from KapohoKine and Meta Engineering. A company website identifies Foundation Mechanics as being tailor-made to address Hawaii’s unique geology.
“The reality is lava rock is among the weakest in the world and decays the fastest of all the rock formations,” the site reads. “Nature has ordered that the youngest material out of the earth falls apart the fastest.”
Paul Weber said he has warned about the soil conditions in Hamakua on other projects, but few seemed interested in listening until Sept. 21, the day that 36-year-old Ted Callaway fell more than 100 feet to his death while test-riding a line after tightening it to provide a faster ride.
“It’s a tragedy. … If it was a comedy, it would be a comedy of errors,” he said. “This industry needs to be regulated. There needs to be legislation.”
Legislators introduced a bill this session that aims to license the zip line industry and require regular inspections, but the measure was deferred in order to allow for a year-long study that is required by state law before licensure can be imposed on a specific business.
Weber said he felt obligated to call attention to the issue in order to prevent further accidents.
“I have a duty to the public to protect their safety. I have to say something about this,” he said.
“The bottom line is, there’s risk at stake here, and licensed engineers have an obligation to the public to recognize when there’s risk and let the public know about it.”