Diver Harness Cross-Chest Hazard

[DCBC]

Diver Critically Injured When Suit Over Inflates (Ontario, Canada)

Hazard Summary

A 40 year-old diver was critically injured when his diving suit over-inflated while working inside an opening of a sewer pipe.

The victim was vacuuming the inside of a flooded storm sewer when his suit unexpectedly began to inflate causing him to blow up against the roof of the pipe. The victim was wearing a dry suit and was using a surface-supplied diving helmet.

The investigation has shown that the diving harness interfered with the operation of the diver's suit. Specifically, the design of the particular harness inadvertently activated the suit inflation valve when the diver crouched in the sewer pipe, causing an uncontrolled blow-up and trapping him against the top of the sewer pipe. The harness is a type that crossed across the chest. When the diver crouched inside the pipe the harness strap slid over the inflator of his dry suit causing an uncontrolled over-inflation. The inflator valve on this suit was found to have a high profile activator that rises above the protective shroud of the valve. As the suit began to inflate the diver could not raise his arm to discharge the overpressure through the exhaust valve.

Hazard Location

This hazard may occur whenever a cross-chest type of diving harness is worn. This type of harness must be avoided if there is a possibility that a harness strap can accidentally activate the suit inflator valve.

Precautions

* Ensure during pre-dive checks that suit inflator valve cannot be activated by harness straps.
* Relocate suit inflation valve to an area on the suit that will not allow the diving harness straps to interfere with the suit inflation valve.


It amazes me that Divers and Supervisors continue to make such an obvious mistake which continues to cause diver injury and death.

 

[sjensenpiper]

Suck when doing hazmat work no neck seal or wrist seal to pull open in an emergency total encapsulation get enough air in the suit you cant even bend you arms. Have had my dry suit valve stick open from sand but was able to vent through wrist seal. Thanks for the post good heads up info hope the guy makes it through.

 

[FlipFl0p]

People become very relaxed about these things. I know myself I often wear it a bit looser than I could meaning it can move around in the water and easily settle over the inflate valve.

 

[muddiver]

Unh, what ever happened to "disconnect the inflator hose"?

Oh, wait! Commercial divers don't have to go through drysuit training.

 

[chrisski]

agreed, always have your dive tool, cut it

 

[chrisski]

also have heard storis of drysuit divers getting bent being human lift bags
have also heard companies wont let you dive em in the gulf for that reason

 

[muddiver]

The standard in the gulf is either a wet suit if it is a shallow dive, or a hot water suit if it is a deep or really long dive. If you are diving surface supplied there really is no reason to not use a hot water system, except for contaminated water.

 

[mstudley]

Sorry, this might sound like an ignorant question but how did this incident result in a critical injury? The diver was on surface supplied gas and ended up pinned at the top of a sewer pipe unable to release the gas inside the suit.

So what? Nobody could go down and help them out?

 

[james croft]

I suppose it would be harder to disconnect hose or cut something when your arms are sticking straight out to the sides from the suit being fully inflated. I have fully inflated my suit on the surface to see what it is like but I did not leave the inflator on and having surface supplied air continuosly filling up the suit I think it would keep you fairly rigid.