I have been making inroads into the EEC lot in Brussels in looking at diving safety within the EEC.
Following a lot of correspondence through my MEP who is a supporter of the association there is to be a meeting of the Labour Inspectors' Committee working group MACHEX to be held on 6th and 7th March 2013.
This working group exchanges information on the enforcement by the Labour Inspection of the Council Directive 2009/104/EC of 16 September 1989 concerning the minimum safety and health requirements for the use of work equipment by workers at work and therefore is best placed to discuss the issue of the most appropriate equipment for use in commercial diving operations.
Given all the accidental deaths except 1within the EC in the last 6 years are by the use of SCUBA, the Committee will look at the requirement under Article 6 of the Framework Directive 89/391/EEC to evaluate and document all risks which could then be minimised by the selection of the correct appropriate equipment for use in such diving operations.
The item for discussion is the use of the equipment that poses the main risk in commercial diving operations which is the use of “Open-circuit self-contained compressed air diving apparatus†(SCUBA) which complies with “EN 250:2000 or BS EN 13949:2003†instead of the correct use of “Open-circuit umbilical supplied compressed gas diving, Demand apparatus, or Free flow apparatus†that complies with “BS EN 15333-1:2008 or BS EN 15333-2:2009â€.
My MEP has sought approval to allow myself and another to address the meeting and explain in simple terms the safe benefits of using surface supplied equipment over SCUBA. A diving company has offered to provide the equipment for demonstration with a manequin to dress the gear in.
Seeking an EC directive on diving safety cannot be approved by Brussels, so the thrust of the campaign is to seek the EC to discuss issuing a safety directive on the minimum standard of diving equipment in underwater diving operations that include the following.
1) any work taking place underwater in connection with the alteration, cleaning, construction, demolition, dismantling, erection, extension, installation, maintenance, removal, renewal or repair of, any building, edifice, structure, wall, canal, coast protection or defence, culvert, dam, dock, electronic communications apparatus, harbour works, drainage system, flood control, inland waterway, irrigation system, land drainage, river control, pipeline, power-lines, reservoir, sewers, water-mains, well, any buoy, any obstruction to navigation, any raft, any ship and wreck, commercial underwater farming in connection with the collection, harvesting or farming of fish, shellfish or aquatic plants from aquatic farms, mineral exploration & exploitation
2) any work taking place underwater which forms an integral part of any survey or any other underwater work carried out for the purpose of ascertaining if underwater works in section 1 are to be carried out.
3) any work taking place underwater which is associated with underwater archaeology or historical studies or any works taking place underwater which is associated with working in benign conditions when working within tanks, aquaria and swimming pools shall not apply to section 1 or 2
4) Underwater work within the meaning of sections 1 & 2 shall be required to supply PPE respiratory equipment that is to be used underwater, in accordance with Directive 89/656/EEC of 30th November 1989 and the Directive 89/686/EEC of 21st December 1989
5) the minimum equipment standard for use in sections 1 & 2 shall comply with,
a) BS EN 15333-1:2008 Respiratory equipment, Open-circuit umbilical supplied compressed gas diving apparatus. Demand apparatus, or
b ) BS EN 15333-2:2009 Respiratory equipment, Open-circuit umbilical supplied compressed gas diving apparatus. Free flow apparatus
Although this will address the use of the appropriate equipment to be used in such operations it will not address the enforcement of the issue and that will be the responsibility of the member states through their organisations to implement.
But I shall inform the insurance companies as they are few and far between for this industry of what the minimum equipment standards should be assuming Brussels approve such a move. That way the company will have to comply to meet the insurance requirements.