Role of the Coast Guard

[Mike Boswell]

The CG doesn't freely hand out accident report investigations on vessels. Part of that is due to the litigiousness nature of America today. It's too easy for a plaintiff's lawyer to point their finger at the USCG for the depth/lack of depth to an investigation. We ask a 25 year old butter bar investigator make a report that has the well-being of an operator in the balance. There is good reason those reports aren't freely published. Your curiosity isn't reason enough to change that policy.

Thanks Frank - Your information is greatly appreciated.

I wonder, though, about the CG policy of not voluntarily publishing it's reports. Surely any plaintiff's lawyer knows how to gain the needed information through the FOIA process. If so, who benefits by secrecy?

 

[Wookie]

Mike, I wonder if it's not the PITA factor that keeps them from making them public. Do you know of the PSIX? Anything you want to know about a vessel is there. The details of a 2692 aren't included, but the fact that an investigation was opened and resolved are there. Go ahead and look at mine, it tells you all about every official contact the USCG has had with us. The Spree's doc number is 572368, although you don't need it, you just need to know the vessel name and type of service.

 

[Herk_Man]

Mike, I so agree with you. In the Air Force, whenever there is an accident or incident, there are two investigations. A safety investigation (they get first dibs) and an accident investigation. When we perform a safety investigation we actually read a sort of reverse Miranda statement that absolves anyone we interview of any liability. (The pilot could tell the safety investigator that he just wanted to see how drunk he could get and still land the airplane inverted, and he would be fully protected.) We do this to encourage full disclosure. This information is used for one thing: Preventing future accidents. All of the personal information and info that actually identifies the specific accident is redacted. And then the results of the investigation are published with findings and recommendations. It is a very powerful tool.

(The accident investigation is the exact opposite thing. Rights are read [if appropriate], liability is assessed, and guilty parties are punished.)

 

[seaducer]

(The pilot could tell the safety investigator that he just wanted to see how drunk he could get and still land the airplane inverted, and he would be fully protected.)

Who said that? If someone pulled that off, and was "interviewable" after, I want to fly with that dude!:cool2:

 

[Herk_Man]

Well, so far I haven't had to say it because all of my landings have been without incident. I was just sayin', if there WERE an accident...

 

[Mike Boswell]

It would seem that the Coast Guard has, as one of its primary missions, to protect the public:
USCG: Missions

On the other hand, they are only going to tell us stuff if we ask:
USCG: CG-611 Management Programs and Policy Division

Most divers don't submit FOIA requests before booking a dive trip. They just assume that "the authorities" are protecting the public. But in a recent case here in San Diego, a commercial dive boat had multiple "incidents" prior to a dive fatality, and many local divers have reported "horror stories" about trips on the boat. Despite that, the public was clearly not informed or protected, and a visiting diver died.

 

[Herk_Man]

I don't use DAN so not real familiar with them but it seems like this should be something they'd be on top of. Don't they have some sort of diving incident database where people can go learn about previous accidents? If they don't, they should. It's in their own best interest to prevent them.

 

[rjack321]

I am unclear about whether the Coast Guard investigates all Scuba accidents, or only those involving boats, or only those involving commercial boats.

USCG investigates those involving commercial boats, which are required to report casualties like this. (casualty = injury to boat or person who may or may not be a diver). The USCG is responsible for the safety of commercial vessels & their passengers. This would be a report.

USCG investigates to a much lessor degree incidents on personal boats where they were involved with a rescue or search. This might be a paragraph in their monthly activity summary.

USCG doesn't investigate scuba accidents (like from shore) per se. They might similar to the above notes if they went searching with vessels or aircraft.

Injuries or death to divers are the responsibility of local medical examiners. Just because you pay that physician's salary does not mean you are entitled to any information about the injured/deceased diver. In this state, autopsy reports are confidential unless released by the next of kin. They are also non-disclosable under HIPPA. Bottom line, autopsy reports are about as much of your business as they are to the life insurance company trolling for information to help them deny the claim.

 

[Mike Boswell]

I don't use DAN so not real familiar with them but it seems like this should be something they'd be on top of. Don't they have some sort of diving incident database where people can go learn about previous accidents? If they don't, they should. It's in their own best interest to prevent them.

Herk Man - Yes, they do: DAN issues annual accident reports. and so far they are the best resource I know of for this kind of information. I am a DAN member and I have read some of their annual reports, and I think non-members can download and read them too. If you have not done so, here is the site:

https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/report/index.asp

Unfortunately, even DAN is often not able to get all of the information surrounding a dive accident, so they have to do the best they can with what they are able to obtain. I don't know if they use the FOIA process.

 

[captain]

The USGC is mostly concerned that commercial and to lesser degree private vessels adhere to the USCG regulations on safety. If you read all the regulations the only thing related to diving is related to vessels restricted in ability to maneuver which means the vessel can not freely maneuver because of the nature of the work it is involved in, diving operations being one of several such as dredging. This is to warn other vessels of that vessels inability to maneuver by signal such as day shapes, ball, diamond, ball and lights at night, red, white, red lights.

The USCG does not require a vessel to carry any special equipment specific to diving such as oxygen.
In the commercial diving industry OSHA is the entity that mandates diving related safety procedures. In recreational diving this is relagated to insurance companies and individial shop or boat owner. On private boats it is whatever the boat owner wants to do.