BSAC Talk - Personal Responsibility
|
Register for Updates To make sure you recieve a direct notification of each months topic for SAFETY TALK as well as other information about important BSAC changes, new BSAC services and BSAC benefits please register for the BSAC MAILING LIST |
SAFETY TALK - MARCH 2007
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
|
Annual Diving Incident Report
The 2006 Diving Incident Report can be seen at http://www.bsac.org/page/805/incident-report-2006.htm
Summary
It is very obvious that although we might do detailed analysis of all these incidents, a lot – in fact almost 100% of them – can be overcome by following correct training and building of experience.
 Summary
As has been stated many times before, most of the incidents reported within this document could have been avoided had those involved followed a few basic principles of safe diving practice.”
NDC Diving Incidents and Safety Advisor |
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
No it is not a printing error there are intentionally two Summary paragraphs above both saying essentially the same thing.
The consistent message in the Summaries above seem to say that by following ‘Safe Diving’ practices, following your training and not extending beyond your experience should ensure you enjoy safe diving for you and your buddy.
So why the two quotes?
Well both are taken from Annual Diving Incident Reports. The difference is that the first one comes from the 1972 Report and the second is from the 2006 Report.
Does this mean that we have wasted our time for the last 35 or so years?
Not at all, diving has moved on substantially during that time with newer, sometimes more complex, but increasingly reliable equipment and techniques and more and more people are enjoying the sport. Improvements in training and ongoing safety guidance also help to keep serious incidents. The one thing it is difficult to guard against is human nature and so it is important to keep reiterating these messages.
Training
All divers follow some form of formal training programme to achieve various standards of qualification. It is essential for safe diving that divers continue to dive within their respective qualifications unless they have received additional training. BSAC have a comprehensive and cohesive Diver Training Programme developed for the prevailing UK conditions and including training for decompression stop diving procedures and the management of diving. The key is for all divers to understand the limits of their qualifications (such 20m maximum depth for Ocean Diver) and seek further training before exceeding those limits.
Experience
Diving requires a mixture of training in skills and the progressive build up of experience based on that solid foundation of skills. Where skills are learnt and practiced in substantially different conditions it is not always a simple matter of transferring them to the new environment. For example, where a diver with many years diving experience moves to new areas such as using a Rebreather it is important that the new skills are practiced in shallow water and that depth experience is once again build up slowly and progressively.
Safe Diving
No matter how much we all think we know what is involved in safe diving practices it would do us all good to remind ourselves from time to time. The lessons learned from Incident Reports and the development of diving in general means that the Safety advice offered changes with time and the BSAC Publication ‘Safe Diving’ http://www.bsac.org/page/141/safe-diving.htm was substantially revised and updated at the end of 2006 and includes the incorporation Technical safe diving guidance.
Keep up to date and remember Practice – Practice – Practice
Think SAFE - Dive SAFE
Comment
Hi Jim
Thanks for a very well written safety article, I hope most members take the trouble to read it. I think a lot of divers become over confident as time passes and the old saying ( bin there done that ) attitude comes into play.
Keep up the good work and hope we all have an incident free year.
Regards Les Steggles
Any suggestions for further items for inclusion would be welcome and can be made to divesafe@bsac.com
|
Register for Updates To make sure you recieve a direct notification of each months topic for SAFETY TALK as well as other information about important BSAC changes, new BSAC services and BSAC benefits please register for the BSAC MAILING LIST |
Page last modified: 31st Jan 2008 - 15:21:31