Aren’t there any regulations that address this problem?
Many agencies have specific regulations regarding commercial diving operations.
In a word, yes.
Due to the inherent and obvious risks involved, any company (or individual) that engages in commercial diving in the United States is regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), specifically by 29 CFR Part 1910 Subpart T - Commercial Diving Operations.
These regulations set forth the minimum standards which must be adhered to during any commercial diving operation.
OSHA Compliance
With respect to training, “OSHA considers an employer to be in compliance with 29 CFR Part 1910.410 requirements if documentation shows that the diver completed training to the appropriate level (e.g., surface-supplied air diver certificate, surface-supplied mixed gas diver certificate) at a commercial diving school within a particular state, military school, federal school (e.g., Army Corps of Engineers), or an Association of Commercial Diving Educators (ACDE) accredited school. An employer is also in compliance when documented evidence attests to the training level of employed divers under the national consensus standard published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Association of Commercial Diving Educators (ACDE); ANSI/ACDE-01-1998 American National Standard for Divers - Commercial Diver Training - Minimum Standard.” See: Letter from Charles Jeffress, Assistant Secretary, OSHA, to Senator Joseph Lieberman, March 29, 2000.
Other Commercial Diving Standards
Other organizations, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), publish their own standards that apply to projects which they supervise. See: EM385-1-1 Section 30, Contract Diving Operations.
Still other organizations, such as the Association of Diving Contractors International, publish standards which apply to any voluntary member company that engages in commercial diving operations. See: Consensus Standards for Commercial Diving and Underwater Operations, ADCI.
Choosing a Commercial Diving Company
What does this mean to someone who wishes to retain the services of a commercial diving company? In order to operate legally in the United States, a commercial diving contractor must adhere to the relevant OSHA minimum standards.
These are, as their name implies, the minimum requirements that must be met – in terms of safety, proficiency, training, and the number of personnel required on a commercial dive team.
At Substructure, Safety is our Top Priority
Substructure’s standards far exceed the minimum requirements set forth by the United States government.
Our divers have not only been trained at ACDE-accredited commercial diving schools, but have undergone extensive in-house training and continually hone their skills in the field. And since diver safety is of paramount importance, both to us and to our clients, we are proud that our company safety program is unparalleled.
Next: What are the advantages of Surface Supplied Air/Mixed Gas diving?