Ensure Safety with Emergency Braking Devices for Ziplines

An emergency arrest device (EAD), or emergency brake, is an essential component of a complete zip line brake system. An EAD is a secondary brake that will automatically engage in the event that the primary brake fails and will prevent rider injury or death. When installing a zip line, unmanned testing should be conducted to ensure proper function of both the primary brake and the EAD.

Ziplines and braking systems must meet the criteria of the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). An Emergency Braking Device (EAD) does exactly what it says: it stops the driver if the primary brake fails to perform as intended, preventing injury or death.

The definitions of Zipline Emergency Arrest Device varies between standards :

• Thrill Syndicate refers to emergency brakes and fail-safe braking systems as EADs.

• ACCT refers to EADs as an emergency brake.

• ASTM refers to brake systems as fail-safe and does not use the phrase EAD or emergency brake.