Diving Incidents Reports
Annual Diving Incident
Reports
In its capacity as the Sports Council appointed governing body for sub-aqua sport in Britain, the National Diving Committee of The British Sub-Aqua Club records details of diving incidents and accidents and publishes them as an Annual Report at its annual technical conference in late November. The object of analysing individual incident reports, which make up the year’s Annual Report, is to see what lessons can be learned and consequently, give advice to members / divers, or make changes to diver training procedures, so that the possibility of a recurrence of the incident can be minimised. Advice of this sort is published in the Club’s ‘NDC Bulletin’ and ‘Safe Diving Practices’ booklet, and in a periodic ‘Safe Diving’ feature in the monthly ‘DIVE’ magazine which goes to all members. In the longer term, changes can be made to BSAC Training Support publications and Manuals.
When reviewing BSAC Annual Diving Incident Reports, readers should bear in mind how many trouble free dives are made by recreational divers each year. Past surveys of BSAC membership indicate that the average diver makes about fifteen to twenty dives each year. BSAC has a current membership of 40,000 plus: it is believed that the total ‘diving population’ of the British Isles is more than twice that figure. That means that something like one-and-a-half to two million recreational dives are made each year. A good summer will boost this figure. Against this background of trouble free diving, the number of incidents which occur, and the handful of diving fatalities, is very low. Sub-aqua diving does not feature in the ‘top ten’ list of risk sports: it is about fifteenth on the list.
Each Annual Diving Incident Report issued by the BSAC looks at incidents which have occurred during the year running from 1st October to 31st September next. This gives time for the Annual Report to be compiled and printed for release at the BSAC Diving Officers Conference held in November/December each year. Subsequently, copies of the Report are circulated to all Branches of BSAC so members can learn from the mishaps and experience of others.
BSAC Branches are required by the Club’s insurers to report all diving incidents and accidents, and all incidents / accidents occurring to members of Branches both in UK and abroad, are included. In addition, BSAC receives and includes in these Annual Reports details of recreational diving incidents occurring to divers who are not members of BSAC. These are gleaned press cuttings, and from reports submitted to us by the Coastguard Agency and RNLI, who may be involved in the rescue of distressed divers. We also receive information from the Institute of Naval Medicine and from recompression facilities who provide treatment for diving related illnesses.
Thus our catchment area is wide and we believe that our Annual Diving Incident Reports include reference - if not detail - to the great majority of recreational diving incidents and accidents which occur within the time frame, to BSAC members and to all other recreational divers in the British Isles. We do not include within these reports details of incidents in the commercial diving industry: they look at recreational diving only.
Individual Diving Incident Reports are treated in confidence and anonymity is guaranteed, otherwise Branches and divers might be reluctant to submit them. The Club will only release copies of these confidential reports if required to do so by a court of law.
(c) 09/02.
In its capacity as the Sports Council appointed governing body for sub-aqua sport in Britain, the National Diving Committee of The British Sub-Aqua Club records details of diving incidents and accidents and publishes them as an Annual Report at its annual technical conference in late November. The object of analysing individual incident reports, which make up the year’s Annual Report, is to see what lessons can be learned and consequently, give advice to members / divers, or make changes to diver training procedures, so that the possibility of a recurrence of the incident can be minimised. Advice of this sort is published in the Club’s ‘NDC Bulletin’ and ‘Safe Diving Practices’ booklet, and in a periodic ‘Safe Diving’ feature in the monthly ‘DIVE’ magazine which goes to all members. In the longer term, changes can be made to BSAC Training Support publications and Manuals.
When reviewing BSAC Annual Diving Incident Reports, readers should bear in mind how many trouble free dives are made by recreational divers each year. Past surveys of BSAC membership indicate that the average diver makes about fifteen to twenty dives each year. BSAC has a current membership of 40,000 plus: it is believed that the total ‘diving population’ of the British Isles is more than twice that figure. That means that something like one-and-a-half to two million recreational dives are made each year. A good summer will boost this figure. Against this background of trouble free diving, the number of incidents which occur, and the handful of diving fatalities, is very low. Sub-aqua diving does not feature in the ‘top ten’ list of risk sports: it is about fifteenth on the list.
Each Annual Diving Incident Report issued by the BSAC looks at incidents which have occurred during the year running from 1st October to 31st September next. This gives time for the Annual Report to be compiled and printed for release at the BSAC Diving Officers Conference held in November/December each year. Subsequently, copies of the Report are circulated to all Branches of BSAC so members can learn from the mishaps and experience of others.
BSAC Branches are required by the Club’s insurers to report all diving incidents and accidents, and all incidents / accidents occurring to members of Branches both in UK and abroad, are included. In addition, BSAC receives and includes in these Annual Reports details of recreational diving incidents occurring to divers who are not members of BSAC. These are gleaned press cuttings, and from reports submitted to us by the Coastguard Agency and RNLI, who may be involved in the rescue of distressed divers. We also receive information from the Institute of Naval Medicine and from recompression facilities who provide treatment for diving related illnesses.
Thus our catchment area is wide and we believe that our Annual Diving Incident Reports include reference - if not detail - to the great majority of recreational diving incidents and accidents which occur within the time frame, to BSAC members and to all other recreational divers in the British Isles. We do not include within these reports details of incidents in the commercial diving industry: they look at recreational diving only.
Individual Diving Incident Reports are treated in confidence and anonymity is guaranteed, otherwise Branches and divers might be reluctant to submit them. The Club will only release copies of these confidential reports if required to do so by a court of law.
(c) 09/02.
Page last modified: 4th May 2006 - 16:31:45