Tennessee turns attention to zip line safety

Tennessee turns attention to zip line safety

Tennessean (click for full article) Awaiting his turn on a zip line, Nathan Newell looked toward the treetops and admitted he was no Tarzan.

"I'm certainly nervous about the heights," he said.

The 35-year-old was among a men's group from Turning Point Church in Murfreesboro who had booked time Saturday morning at Treetop Adventure Park. On the grounds of the waterpark Nashville Shores, it features 100 obstacles, including zip lines soaring above the forest floor. An instructor carefully watched Newell's every move. And a comforting fact the novice zipliner probably didn't know: Treetop Adventure Park passed its annual safety inspection in September under a relatively new Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development program.

(Photo: John Partipilo / The Tennessean)

Tennessee officials try to keep track of smaller zip-line operations that pop up as the activity grows in popularity. Two inspectors with the department are responsible for finding zip lines whose operators have not registered with the state.

"Because zip lining is a relatively new activity, there is not a definite number of operations in the state," said Jeff Hentschel, a spokesman for the state agency responsible for the inspections. "We have inspected 32 zip line locations this year and have 12 more inspections scheduled. During the course of an inspection, we review the company manual, inspect the equipment and educate zip line owners on safe practices."