A Message from the Executive Director

My last message focused on the ADCI's Strategic Plan and its implementation for 2007 and beyond. One of the items that I mentioned was the proposed draft for the 6th Ed. of the Consensus Standards for Commercial Diving and Underwater Operations. Changes over the last 5 - 10 years in our industry have warranted the revision of our source document.
Of course, when embarking on any revision of this magnitude it is important to remember that there is a defined process for review, approval, and finally ratification. Once the first draft has been completed, it will go before the Board of Directors for review and approval.
Once the draft has successfully progressed from this point, it will be posted for review by all industry stakeholders. This review period for comments and suggested input is tentatively slated for a period of no less than six to eight months. At the conclusion of this period, the second draft will be put forth before the Membership for ratification. It is hoped that the document will be ratified sometime before 2010. However, we must be very careful not to set a timeline that is too accelerated. Some of the changes that we are looking to implement involve major expenditures in equipment, especially in the area of saturation diving. This will require fair and realistic timelines and dates for when these new recommended standards will take effect. I want to take this opportunity to elaborate on some of the proposed changes to date.

PROPOSED CHANGES
The first area that will be changed is the overall format of the Consensus Standards. It will be more user-friendly; the format will no longer require users to refer to three separate areas to access all the information. For example, if you wanted to obtain all information relative to surface-supplied air diving, all one would have to do is go to that section. In addition, there will be an expanded reference section at the back with such items as:

  • Generic Excursion Files; Bums and Sums
  • Callout List for UHMS, NEDU, and DAN
  • Work Day Formulas
  • List of all Hyperbaric Med. Facilities
  • Bailout Calculations
  • Four major Line Pulls
  • First Aid Kit Contents Checklist
  • Recommended Drills
  • Emergency Tap Codes
  • Condensed Rigging Guidelines
  • Burning Guidelines
  • Metrology Formulas and Tables The overall new proposed format will be set up as such:
  • Table of Contents
  • General Provisions
  • Personnel Requirements
  • Commercial Diving
  • Scuba
  • Surface-Supplied
  • Air
  • Mixed Gas
  • Saturation
  • Equipment and Systems
  • ROV (Remote Operated Vehicles)
  • ADS (Advanced Diving Systems)
  • Dynamic Positioning
  • Appendix
  • Reference Documents


A FEW SPECIFICS
There will also be some guideline changes to all applications of diving, from scuba to saturation. I will just highlight a few of these changes, while saving the specifics for the General Membership Meeting at UI 2008. With scuba there will be a new proposed operational maximum of 100 feet (30m). There will also be a requirement for two-way communications. For mixed-gas diving there will be a requirement for an open-bottom bell, equipped with a manifold, emergency breathing equipment, gauges and excursion umbilicals of calculated length; necessitating the presence of an in-water tender at the bell. In the event that an open-bottom bell cannot be deployed because operations are conducted in a physically confining space with limited ingress, an alternative supply (excluding the diver's umbilical) of emergency gas must be provided. For saturation diving there will be a new recommended requirement for a hyperbaric emergency system, excluding the bell. This will also have specific parameters for emergency on-board gas and the need for a portable LSCS (Life Support Control System), located within 24 hours of the of the dive site. There will be requirements for all LARS (Launch and Recovery Systems) to be man-rated, a secondary system for bell recovery, as well as a redundant power supply. There will be new manning requirements for all applications of surface supplied diving applications.

NEW BELL CLASSIFICATIONS
Other areas for revision will include the elimination of the classing system for different types of diving bells. The need for this arose, as there are different interpretations for what constitutes a Class I vs. Class II diving bell, domestically and outside of the US. Since we are an international association, we need to have language in our source document which illustrates universality. We will now use literal terms for bells and stages - closed bell, open bell, open bell with manifold, stage, etc. On that same note, there will be overall wording changes to reflect true international representation. Constant references to the USCG and OSHA will be dialed down, as these have no relevance for many members outside of the US. Instead, we will lean on such general references as Flag State and National Regulatory Authorities, as well as IMO, ABS, DNV, etc. A requirement for a third source of emergency gas (in-water) for the diver on any planned in-water decompression dive will also be incorporated into the 6th Ed. draft.

CERTIFICATIONS
Other areas of focus are harness upgrades, (with leg straps and a positive buckling device with "D" rings specifically designated for the safe recovery of an injured diver), as well as the streamlining of the three levels of certification for Entry Level Tender/Diver, Diver, and Diving Supervisor. These three diving certification levels will be brought up to date with the current assessment, formal training, and field experience requirements, or any combination of the three. Another certification that has been discussed over the past few years has been that of the Life Support Technician. No longer will an LST be required in the manning of surface-supplied HeO2 operations. If a company wants to utilize an LST in HeO2 operations, they can, as an LST will be certified to work on any given diving assignment, from saturation to surface-supplied air. This certification will require the successful completion of an online assessment, similar to that taken by diving supervisor candidates. There will also be a field-hour requirement, in addition to the assessment that will be necessary for issuance of the LST certification. At a minimum, an LST will be certified to be employed primarily to control and constantly monitor the hyperbaric environment and system in which divers live while saturation diving. Also in the realm of saturation diving is the newly defined role of the Saturation Technician. The Saturation Technician is responsible for the setup, maintenance, and repair of the saturation diving complex. In the draft of the 6th Ed., we will have a new and detailed description of this individual's responsibilities and requirements. There are also revisions to Equipment and Systems, Procedures for Hand-Held Power Tools, Welding and Burning Procedures, Emergency Procedures, and Live Boating. As you can see, there are too many details to cover in this writing. It is an exciting process that brings forth everything which comes about when attempting to make a change of this magnitude. The amount of learning, compromise, and communication that has taken place within the focus group responsible for coming up with the first draft will make this a positive and memorable lifetime experience. So far presentations on the Proposed Draft of 6th Edition have been given at ADCI chapter meetings internationally and in the US. Presentations have been shared at various operator safety meetings, and a detailed account will also be made at UI 2008. I want to thank the General Members of the Executive Committee; Bill Crowley, Tim Beaver, Mike Brown, Craig Fortenbery, and Claudio Castro for the professional and personal sacrifices that they have given the association in this effort. For those of you involved in undertakings such as this, I offer this little piece of advice that I came across not too long ago: "It is important to take criticism seriously, but not personally. Once you start taking it personally then you are incapable of taking it seriously. Then you're not capable of sorting through what's accurate and inaccurate."
More to come. Be safe. UW


East Coast Chapter Report
Tom Eason, Chair

I hope all member companies and their staffs are off to a safe and prosperous year. The beginning of the year is a great time to evaluate job safety and catch up on equipment maintenance and personnel qualifications. A compliant and safe operation is in everyone's best interest, from the company owner to the diver at the end of the hose, and extending to the client paying for the services. As we begin a new year consider conducting a self-audit to ensure your company's personnel and equipment are in compliance with OSHA and the ADCI Consensus Standards. Performing this audit annually is a great tool for evaluating your company's policies and procedures. It is time to make plans for this year's events, including the combined meetings of the East Coast and Midwest Chapters at the Inland/Coastal conference. Any thoughts on where to have these or any additional meetings or presentations would be appreciated. I encourage you to visit www.adc-int.org and check out the SAFETY NOTICE link and learn from others. If you have not been receiving Chapter information via email, please forward your updated email address and contact information, and don't forget that ADCI Headquarters also needs this to communicate with the members. For chapter information, assistance or comments please don't hesitate to contact our Vice Chairman, Wendell Swilley, at info@hullcleaning. com or 352-373-6301, or me at tom@ easondiving.com or 843-747-0548.

Asia Pacific Chapter Report
Randy Davis, Chair
Business wise, it looks as if the upswing that started in 2005 will continue through 2008. Work is the same as I reported in the last issue, with a great deal of work going on in our chapter for 2007, both offshore and inland. As I write this in the middle of December we are slowing down somewhat, due only to the fact that this time of the year over here is our bad weather period. Most major projects will start or continue in March of 2008. The day rates for personnel and equipment are still the highest they have ever been in Asia. We will again have a shortage of experienced personnel next year, though the number of qualified divers has gone up, with a record number of Asians attending dive schools, especially in Australia. Now we contractors have to get the clients to allow us to have a few more trainees on jobs to get them some experience. The Chapter held its 2007 Annual General Meeting on December 8 in Macau SAR, Peoples' Republic of China. Twenty-five people attended, including representatives from 15 member companies, one client company, two...

 
             
  The Commercial Diving Academy is an accredited training facility for the National Center for Construction Education and Research.
 
  Official Sponsor of: