PETZL SAFETY INFORMATION: GYM / PANDION / PANJI HARNESSES
UPDATE from Petzl 2024-09-12:
Following our Safety Alert communication dated May 14, 2024, Petzl has worked with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada. In cooperation with these authorities, Petzl has decided to voluntarily recall the GYM, PANDION and PANJI harnesses.
From Petzl:
SAFETY INFORMATION: GYM / PANDION / PANJI HARNESSES
MAY 14 2024
CURRENT
Climbing gyms and adventure parks manage activities that are inherently dangerous. They have seen significant expansion in recent years, attracting an ever-increasing number of customers. Some of these customers are new to vertical activities and have little or no experience with how to safely engage in these dangerous activities. Petzl has been made aware that a user of the Petzl GYM, PANDION, and PANJI harness can don the harness backwards and subsequently connect to the non-weight bearing leg loop elastic band.
Petzl is therefore taking the following preventative measures:
- Reminding operators of the importance of training, supervising and monitoring before and during use of the harness and all equipment, particularly when making the equipment available to customers.
- Providing and promoting access to educational tools.
- Providing an option for GYM, PANDION and PANJI owners to send us their harnesses for replacement of the current leg loop elastic band with a new design, free of charge.
1- Reminders concerning training, supervision and monitoring before and during use
The following practices regarding harnesses and all equipment should already be part of your daily routine:
• Read, understand, and follow all instructions for use for the harness and all equipment used.
• Train your staff and ensure that they understand and follow all instructions for use for the harness, and all equipment used.
• Train your customers and ensure that:
- they understand and follow all instructions for use for the harness, as well as all equipment used,
- they understand the inherent safety risks associated with the activity,
- they understand and follow all techniques used in the activity.
• Check that all equipment is correctly maintained, installed, donned, and operated before and during use.
2- Educational tools
To help share information about how to properly operate its harness, Petzl provides the following additional educational tools, and invites all operators to display them in their premises.
=> If you manage a climbing gym, then install the following posters in a visible, adequate, and highly trafficked public area and train all of your employees and customers with the help of their contents:
=> If you manage an adventure park, then install the following poster in a visible, adequate and highly trafficked public area and train all of your employees and customers with the help of its contents:
3- New leg loop elastic band for GYM, PANDION and PANJI harnesses
As part of its dedication to continuous improvement, Petzl has updated the leg loop elastic band on the GYM, PANDION, and PANJI harnesses.
This update has no impact on the harness’s size range.
What is different on the new leg loop elastic band:
• It incorporates a sewn-in label identifying the “BACK” of the harness to assist the user in properly donning the harness.
• It no longer has an adjustment function, which removes the space that was created between the bands below the adjustment buckle when the original elastic was tightened.
If you would like to take advantage of this replacement leg loop elastic band, free of charge, send us your harness by contacting your local After Sales Service using this contact form.
Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact your local After Sales Service using this contact form.
FAQ
Is replacing the leg loop elastic band mandatory?
Petzl recommends that you send your harness to Petzl After Sales Service for replacement of the current leg loop elastic band with a new design, but it is not mandatory.
Why doesn't Petzl issue a recall?
Petzl is not issuing a recall because the product complies with all industry and legislative requirements, and Petzl does not believe there are any design or manufacturing defects.
Petzl voluntarily decided to offer a new leg loop elastic band free of charge as part of its continuous improvement process. Nevertheless, Petzl continuously promotes safety, which drives Petzl to remind climbing gyms, adventure parks as well as any operator that it should follow and train according to all instructions for use and otherwise comply with the other items outlined in Section 1. “Reminders concerning training, supervision and monitoring before and during use”, and provides additional educational tools and a new leg loop elastic band.
Which harnesses can I send to Petzl After Sales Service, to have the leg loop elastic band replaced with the new design?
Petzl does not offer replacement leg loop elastic bands for the C32 GYM, C29 PANDION and C28AUA-C28ABA PANJI harnesses, as the construction of the leg loop elastic band on these harnesses is different.
Does the new leg loop elastic band have an impact on the harness size range?
No. The removal of the adjustment function has no impact on the size range.
I am an individual user (not a climbing gym, adventure park, or any other operator) who uses one of these harnesses. Is replacing the leg loop elastic band mandatory?
Petzl recommends that you send your harness to Petzl After Sales Service for replacement of the current leg loop elastic band with a new design, but it is not mandatory.
You can benefit from free replacement of the leg loop elastic band by contacting your local after-sales service via the contact form.