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I just thought the Aussies & NZers on the list ought to know about this: Following an incident in Qld last year where a rebreather instructor failed to analyse his gas and died, and two incidents in NSW where OW divers certified overseas died on dives here, WorkCover intends to regulate scuba diving in Australia. In Queensland, a draft code of practice has been drawn up. It is expected that the code will be adopted in Queensland first, then will be applied by WorkCover as a national standard. The Queensland draft code of practice as it applies to technical and rebreather diving will have a serious impact on the future of technical diving in Australia. Whenever you hire or charter a boat to go to the dive site, the code makes the boat owner responsible for all that happens on the dive. The code makes it mandatory for the boat operator to provide a Dive Supervisor whenever nitrox, mixed gas or rebreather diving or training is taking place. The Dive Supervisor must remain on the boat (or presumably on the shore if shore diving is taking place). The dive supervisor will have to be trained by a Rec. Agency to Dive Master standard, and also trained to do the dives he/she will be supervising. This means that whenever Nx, Tmx or RB diving is taking place, unless it is purely recreational diving off a private boat, divers will have to pay for the presence of this Dive Supervisor. The Dive Supervisor's presence is also mandatory at training dives and experience dives, even though an instructor is also present. The Dive Supervisor's role, according to the draft Code, is to advise the Nx, Tmx or RB divers of the dive plan, the dive objectives, the maximum depths for the breathing gas (try that on CCR), loss of breathing gas procedures, buddy separation procedures, safety reqwuirements, and emergency procedures including location and contact procedures for the nearest recompression facilities. These are all the things any trained technical or RB diver and dive boat skipper should have covered anyway. But Workcover will insist on us carrying the Dive Supervisor along, to take up diver space on smaller boats and to increase the cost of the diving. Further, the Dive Supervisor has to do things like "ensure the Nx, Tmx and RB divers perform for themselves and their buddy an in-water check (leak-test) and in water regulator location and correct operation check". Unfortunately, the draft code doesn't explain how a person stationed on the surface is supposed to ensure this happens, when he/she isn't in a position to observe or verify anything that takes place underwater, and in the case of diving a wreck using shot-line and float and stand-off boat, isn't anywhere near the divers. When you think about it, the only way the dive Supervisor can 'ensure' the checks take place is by requiring the divers to surface and confirm the checks have been made before continuing with the dive. Lest you think this code only applies to big-boat diving in Queensland, this standard will apply to all Nx, Tmx and RB diving - whether from shore or from the smallest boat, wherever Workcover can establish a workplace exists (hire or charter a boat or hire a dive guide, or sell any video, and WHAMMO! it's a workplace, and you have to have a Dive Supervisor). The draft code contains some other requirements for which it is hard to determine a rationale - like requiring you to carry two knives, and, after every dive, to fill out a log of 19 pieces of information. And to test all gasses twice, using two separate analysers. This draft code will have a serious and deleterious impact on recreational technical diving in Australia. It was formulated by: Laney Sharman - DETIR Rod Punshon - Pro-Dive Cairns Nick Soter - The Dive Bell, Townsville Col McKenzie - SSI, Cairns Chris Coxun - Workplace Health & Safety Diving Inspector Bruce Thompson - Consultant If you know these people, ask them for an explanation. If you wish to make a submission objecting to or suggesting revisions to the draft code, it can be viewed at: http://www.detir.qld.gov.au/hs/papers/papers.htm Submissions must be in by October 9, 2000. However, if you kick the door down, it may be possible to get an extension. Details for submissions are available in the document titled "Important information about the Draft Industry Code of Practice for Recreational Technical Diving " One wonders why these people didn't use the internet dive groups to call for submissions. rgrds billyw -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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