Working underwater 'can be unforgiving' without safety practices

Categories: General Health and Safety |


Working underwater 'can be unforgiving' without safety practices The importance of following health and safety guidance when working under the sea has been highlighted with the prosecution of a marine company by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Inspectors found the firm breached four diving safety regulations and were forced to halt all diving expeditions when they discovered one of the employees was only equipped with one cylinder of breathing gas and a mouthpiece demand valve.

Like other industries, the use of appropriate workwear in diving is vital to protect employees' lives.

The member of staff was also unlicensed to carry out commercial dives and did not have a certificate to prove his medical fitness, while the company had not provided a standby diver, lifeline or other measures to protect the worker when he was on a dive.

HSE Inspector Bill Chilton commented: "Working underwater can be unforgiving should anything go wrong. Therefore, diving projects need to be planned, the equipment needs to be suitable for the task and the divers and their support team need to be competent."
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