Offshore diving can be a highly lucrative and very rewarding career, yet it can be very pressurised and dangerous too. Diving at work regulations are strict. Proper risk assessments need to be put in place. In addition to complying with all the usual health and safety regulations, compliance with the Diving at Work Regulations 1997 must also be adhered to.
The Diving at Work Regulations 1997
The diving at work regulations (1997) cover all dives but are not limited to the divers themselves. It does not matter if the diver is employed by a company or is self-employed. The regulations apply to everyone who is involved with the diving project in whatever role. That’s not just the divers, but the client as well as any supervisors or boat operators who are involved.
The aim of these workplace safety regulations is to control hazards and minimise risks on the dive. They don’t stipulate how any dive should be carried out in detail. However, they place responsibility on the employer to ensure that the health and safety of everyone on the project has been risk assessed. They also require all precautions and procedures have been put into place to ensure safety as much as is ‘reasonably practical’.
Responsibility of the Company
The company has a duty of care in making sure that they appoint a diving contractor who is fully qualified. The diver must also be competent to carry out the work needed. The area in which the dive is to take place must have been assessed as safe to use. They should identify any known obstacles or hazards and relay that information on to the diving contractor. This might include underwater obstructions and issues like contaminated water. They also need to provide back-up support to the supervisor and diving contractor should an emergency occur. Offshore dive operations often happen in very dangerous environments such as oil rigs, around underwater cable installations, or large vessels. All these environments need to be meticulously risk assessed to ensure the safety of all crew.
Responsibilities of The Diving Contractor
It is the contractor’s responsibility to assess any risks and to prepare a diving plan. The plan must be shared with the supervisor and other divers who will be working on the project. They must also make sure all divers who will be carrying out the work are fully qualified and competent. The contractor also needs to make sure the other divers have proper tools to carry out the work underwater. Checks must also be made that the divers have the right level of skills and qualifications to perform the tasks.
The contractor must also ensure that all equipment provided is fully certified and well maintained. He/she is also responsible for making adequate and proper provision for first aid and onward medical treatment and must keep a written record of every dive that takes place as part of the project as well as ensuring that all other regulations are fully complied with.
The Dive Supervisor
The supervisor needs to be appointed by the contractor and must also be a qualified diver. Although they will be in direct control of operations, they will also have an enormous input alongside the contractor. The supervisor is involved in the recruitment of the professional divers who will be working on the project. They need to keep their own written records of the diving operation. The supervisor also needs to ensure that on the day of the dive itself, the original risk assessment is still valid. It’s their responsibility to make sure a ll equipment has been double checked, and that they have a direct communication link to all of the divers on the operation.
The Divers
The divers must have approved diving qualifications which are valid for the job. In other words, when it comes to offshore work, a recreational diving qualification is not going to be adequate. They must also be competent to work safely and keep records of each dive for up to 2 years. Additionally, they must also have a valid certificate which proves their medical fitness to dive as well as being trained in first-aid techniques.
More information about offshore diving and certification can be found on the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) website, where you can also find out about the different appropriate diving qualifications.
