| Part Number: | 1910 |
| • Part Title: | Occupational Safety and Health Standards |
| • Subpart: | T |
| • Subpart Title: | Commercial Diving Operations |
| • Standard Number: | 1910.401 |
| • Title: | Scope and application. |
| |
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1910.401(a)(2)This standard applies to diving and related support operations conducted in connection with all types of work and employments, including general industry, construction, ship repairing, shipbuilding, shipbreaking and longshoring. However, this standard does not apply to any diving operation:
1910.401(a)(2)(i)Performed solely for instructional purposes, using open-circuit, compressed-air SCUBA and conducted within the no-decompression limits;
1910.401(a)(3)Alternative requirements for recreational diving instructors and diving guides. Employers of recreational diving instructors and diving guides are not required to comply with the decompression-chamber requirements specified by paragraphs (b)(2) and (c)(3)(iii) of § 1910.423 and paragraph (b)(1) of § 1910.426 when they meet all of the following conditions:
1910.401(a)(3)(i)The instructor or guide is engaging solely in recreational diving instruction or dive-guiding operations;
1910.401(a)(3)(ii)The instructor or guide is diving within the no-decompression limits in these operations;
1910.401(a)(3)(iii)The instructor or guide is using a nitrox breathing-gas mixture consisting of a high percentage of oxygen (more than 22% by volume) mixed with nitrogen;
1910.401(a)(3)(iv)The instructor or guide is using an open-circuit, semi-closed-circuit, or closed-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA); and
1910.401(a)(3)(v)The employer of the instructor or guide is complying with all requirements of Appendix C of this subpart.
(Otherwise the chamber requirements apply)
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[V-97-1]
Dixie Divers, Inc.; Grant of Permanent Variance
AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Department of Labor.
ACTION: Grant of permanent variance.
SUMMARY: This notice announces the grant of a permanent variance to Dixie Divers, Inc. (Dixie). The permanent variance is from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements for decompression chambers during mixed-gas diving operations, including paragraphs (b)(2) and (c)(3)(iii) of 29 CFR 1910.423 and paragraph (b)(1) of 29 CFR 1910.426.
The permanent variance covers recreational diving instructors and diving guides employed by Dixie. Using both classroom instruction and practice dives, recreational diving instructors train novice divers individually or in small groups in recreational diving knowledge and skills, including conventional diving procedures and the safe operation of diving equipment. Dixie's recreational diving instructors accompany students during practice dives, which vary in depth from a few feet of sea water (fsw) to 130 fsw, and last between 30 minutes and one hour. Diving guides (who may also serve as recreational diving instructors) lead small groups of trained sports divers to local undersea locations for recreational purposes; the guides select the diving locations and provide the sports divers with information regarding the dive site, including hazardous conditions and safe diving practices. While leading divers to a dive site, the guides dive
to a maximum depth of 130 fsw for periods of 30 minutes to one hour.
The permanent variance specifies the conditions under which Dixie's recreational diving instructors and diving guides may conduct their underwater training and guiding tasks using open-circuit, semi-closed-circuit, or closed-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) supplied with a breathing gas consisting of a high percentage of oxygen (O
2) mixed with nitrogen, and without a decompression chamber near the dive site. These
conditions address: The requirements for SCUBA equipment, including carbon-dioxide canisters, counterlungs, moisture traps, moisture sensors, carbon-dioxide and O2 sensors, and information modules; depth limits for diving operations; use of nationally-recognized no-decompression limits and O2-exposure limits; the O2 and nitrogen composition of the breathing-gas mixture; procedures and equipment for producing and analyzing breathing-gas mixtures; emergency-egress procedures and systems; management of diving-related medical emergencies; procedures for maintaining diving logs; use of decompression tables and dive-decompression computers; and training requirements for recreational diving instructors and diving guides.
DATES: The effective date of the permanent variance is December 20, 1999.
---------- Post added November 25th, 2012 at 05:22 AM ----------
The moral of the story is before all you hard hat guys get all froggy and indignant that some divemaster dares to encroach on your commercial diving mystique, remember that we have rules too, and we're supposed to know them...we have to deal with globs of other people's snot floating into our hair during mask removal skills. We each have our own crosses to bear.
Perhaps I'm getting the wrong impression, but it seems that you have a bit of a crappy attitude. I've taught recreational diving for over 40 years and don't recall getting "other people's snot in my hair." I never consider that I bear any cross when participating in recreational diving instruction. Perhaps if an Instructor does, he should stop teaching...
You speak of the fact that "we have rules too, and we're supposed to know them." I wonder how many diving instructors actually know when the diving envelope actually requires a chamber?
