Commercial diving is a demanding job often performed in challenging underwater environments. There are about 3,800 commercial divers in the U.S., who mainly build, maintain, and repair underwater structures such as bridges, dams, pipelines, and oil rigs. Unlike recreational diving, commercial divers often face zero visibility, contaminated water, and pressure differentials while using industrial tools. These professionals play a crucial role in the safety of underwater infrastructures while taking on many risks. These tips can help make their challenging and essential work safer.
1 Plan the dive carefully.
A well thought out dive plan is important for a safe dive. It helps divers understand the required work and needed tools. Planning prevents confusion, stress, and panic in harsh conditions.
2 Pay attention to tides and weather.
You can increase your chances of a safe dive by waiting on the right tide and weather. Depending on your dive depth, there will always be a preferred tide, whether it is low or high. Also, calmer weather improves visibility by reducing stirred-up debris and minimizing currents.
3 Do not start the dive until it is safe.
A safe dive depends on good information. If there is a large air pocket, a weight shift, or decreased visibility, you should adjust the diving procedures. Rather than stressing the diver with more and different work, halt the dive. Regroup as a team to reassess and create a new plan.
4 Dive under constant supervision.
Use a certified dive supervisor to control the safety lines, provide positioning advice, and keep an eye on the process. When tending lines from the surface, never leave the post or get distracted by other tasks. Always keep visual contact with the diver through video piped in from the umbilical.
5 Always monitor the air-supply umbilical.
Divers must always know the location of their air supply umbilical and prevent it from twisting, pinching, or tangling.
6 Track differential pressure (Delta P).
Delta P refers to water equalizing with its surroundings. Imagine a hole opens in a pipeline and water begins to rush into the gap. Any diver in the area is in danger of getting sucked into the flow. Divers working near drains, tunnels, pipes, valves, damns, or wrecks can suffer fatal injuries when Delta P creates forces strong enough to trap them. See OSHA Alert: Keep Workers Alive During Diving Operations for ways to protect divers from Delta P forces.
7 Create vent holes when using cutting torches.
Gas bubbles can form from a variety of underwater work. Cutting torches can create pockets of hydrogen that can build up and explode. This can result in serious harm to divers. To prevent explosions, use cutting torches to create vent holes overhead to let out gases.
8 Use dive tables to avoid decompression sickness.
Dive tables provide guidelines for divers to plan the maximum time they can spend at a specific depth. They also help divers determine how long they need to wait before making future dives to avoid nitrogen buildup in their bodies, which can cause decompression sickness, or “the bends."
9 Rely on teamwork when using lift bags.
Lift bags are airbags used to lift objects underwater. These bags can flip, twist, and pull divers to the surface, preventing them from decompressing properly. They can also spill onto the diver below. Always create a detailed lift plan and rely on a team of supervisors, engineers, or salvage masters to lift the bags safely.
For more information, visit OSHA’s Commercial Diving website. More safety and health resources are at www.TXSafetyatWork.com.