A Hawaii state auditor says a proposal to regulate zip line tour companies would cost $400,000 to set up and $350,000 to implement each year, with unclear benefits to making rides safer.
    
State Auditor Marion Higa said in a report submitted to Gov. Neil Abercrombie and the Hawaii Legislature that there's not enough evidence to suggest zip lines are seriously dangerous, despite the death of a worker testing a new zip line on the Big Island last year.
    
Higa says the industry has a generally good safety record given that zip lining and similar activities are inherently risky.

The report says based on 2009 insurance claims data from the company that insures 90 percent of Hawaii's operators, zip lines had an injury/participant ratio of 0.00006.  This ratio is lower than that of archery (0.0006).
    
State lawmakers introduced a bill in January to have 22 zip line companies regulated by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.  It was referred to the House Finance Committee in March.

Click here to view the entire report by the auditor.