Government Gazette

Vol. 410, No. 20360, 16 August 1999

Regulation Gazette, No. 6603

No. R. 960

GOVERNMENT NOTICE

DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT, 1993 (ACT NO. 85 OF 1993)

DRAFT AMENDED DIVING REGULATIONS

The Minister of Labour intends, in terms of section 43 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for Occupational Health and Safety, to make the regulations in the Schedule.

Interested persons are invited to submit any substantiated comments or representations on the proposed regulations to the Director General of Labour, Private Bag X117, Pretoria, 0001 (for the attention of the Chief Director: Occupational Health and Safety), within 90 days of the date of publication of this notice.

MMS MDLADLANA
MINISTER OF LABOUR

SCHEDULE

Definitions

1. In these regulations any word or expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act shall have the meaning so assigned and, unless the context otherwise indicates-

"air" includes pure compressed air;

"approved inspection authority" means an inspection authority approved by the chief inspector for the verification, surveillance and certification of the design, manufacture, testing, inspection and repair of compression chambers and bells;

"bail-out system" means an independent supply of the appropriate breathing mixture carried and activated by the diver for emergency situations;

"bell" means a compartment either at ambient pressure (open bell) or pressurised (closed bell) by means of which a diver can be transported to and from the underwater work site, which allows the diver access to the surrounding environment, and which is capable of being used as a refuge during diving operations;

"bottom time" means the time in minutes which elapses from the time when the diver dives from the surface of the water towards the underwater working place until such time as he commences his ascent from the underwater working place towards the surface of the water;

"breathing mixture" means air or gas which is safe for breathing at ambient pressure;

"buddy line" means a line not exceeding 5 m in length and with a breaking strength of at least 500 N. which is used for securely connecting two divers to each other during a dive;

"class I saturation diver " means a class II mixed gas diver who has been trained in all aspects of mixed gas, saturation and bell diving to a depth of at least 100 m;

"class II surface - supplied mixed gas diver" means a class II air diver trained in all aspects of mixed gas diving using surface-supplied diving equipment with open bell and diving stage, limited by decompression tables utilised (non-saturation dive), to a depth not exceeding 70 m;

"class II surface - supplied air diver" means a diver trained in all aspects of air diving using scuba and surface supplied diving equipment to a depth not exceeding 50m;

"class III surface - supplied air diver" means a diver trained in all aspects of air diving using scuba and surface-supplied diving equipment to a depth not exceeding 30m,without the use of a surface compression chamber;

"class IV scuba nitrox diver" means a class IV air diver trained in all aspects of nitrox diving using scuba to a depth not exceeding 30 m, without the use of a surface compression chamber;

"class IV scuba air diver" means a diver trained in all aspects of air diving using scuba to a depth not exceeding 30 m, without the use of a surface compression chamber;

"compression chamber" means a pressure vessel for human occupation having internal dimensions sufficient to accommodate at least one diver lying a horizontal position as well as one other person, and which allows the ingress and egress of personnel while the occupants are under pressure;

"compression chamber dive" means the simulation of an actual dive to specific depths by using a compression chamber;

"council" means the council for diving established in terms of these regulations;

"decompression stop" means a pause, calculated with the aid of decompression tables, which must be observed at a specific depth below the surface of the water during a diver's ascent from the underwater working place, in order to release excess nitrogen or other inert gases absorbed by his body, and for a compression chamber dive it has a corresponding meaning;

"designated medical practitioner" means a registered medical practitioner designated in terms of these regulations to establish whether divers are fit to dive;

"dive" means every dive performed by divers from the control point on the surface of the water to any point under the surface of the water and back to the control point;

"diver" means any person registered as a diver in accordance with these regulations and includes a diving supervisor;

"diver's logbook" means the logbook in the form set out in Annexure 1;

"diving apparatus" means any type of diving equipment that can assist a person to take part in any diving operations, which includes mask, goggle and snorkel;

"diving mode" means a dive requiring snorkel - type apparatus, scuba air, scuba mixed gas, surface-supplied air, surface-supplied mixed gas or saturation equipment, with related procedures and techniques;

"diving operation" means all activities of a diving team in preparation for, during and after a dive;

"diving operations record" means the record contemplated in Annexure 2;

"diving stage" means a suspended platform designed to carry one or more divers and used for lowering divers into the water and bringing them to the surface when underwater decompression is undertaken or standard diving dress is used;

"diving supervisor" means any person registered as a diving supervisor in terms of these regulations;

"diving team" means the divers, standby divers, and diver support personnel involved in a diving operation, including the diving supervisor, line attendant, life-support technician and such other persons as are necessary to man any machinery and equipment which may be required before, during and after a dive;

"diving time" means the time in minutes which elapses from the time when a diver dives from the surface of the water until he/she is again exposed to atmospheric pressure after a dive and includes all decompression stops;

"gas" means any pure gas or mixture of gases, other than air, suitable for underwater breathing;

"hookah" means diving equipment comprising an air supply, air line, full-face mask or helmet and bail-out system;

"in-date diver" means a learner diver or diver who is the holder of a valid medical certificate of fitness in which he is certified fit to dive;

"learner diver" means any person registered as a learner diver in terms of these regulations;

"life-line" means a line or something similar, at least 8 mm in diameter and with a minimum breaking strength of 5 kN, one end of which is fastened at the control point on the surface of the water and the other end of which is secured to the diver during a dive;

"life-support technician (LST)" means a person trained in the physics, physiology, medical and technical aspects of supporting life in high-pressure environments;

"line-attendant" means a person who has been trained in the use of diving signals, life lines, service telephones and other service cables:

"medical certificate of fitness" means a certificate issued by a designated medical practitioner in terms of these regulations;

"medical examination" means a medical examination of a diver or a reamer diver conducted by a designated medical practitioner;

"provincial director" means the provincial director as defined in regulation 1 of the General Administrative Regulations published under Government Notice No.R.1449 of 6 September 1996;

"saturation dive" means a dive executed by a diver whose tissues are saturated with the inert gas in the breathing mixture so as to allow an extension of bottom time without additional decompression;

"scuba" means self-contained underwater breathing apparatus in which the supply of breathing mixture carried by the diver is independent of any other source;

"shot line" means a line of at least 15 mm in diameter, one end of which is fastened at the control point on the surface of the water and which extends to the underwater working place where the other end is fastened or anchored and along which the diver must dive to the underwater working place and along which he/she must return to the surface of the water;

"standard diving dress" means a heavy-weight surface-supplied diving outfit for deep diving;

"standby diver" means an in-date diver, other than a learner diver, who is fully qualified to dive to the maximum depth required by the particular diving operation with the aid of the diving equipment in use, and who is not prevented from diving by an excess of inert gas in his/her system;

"surface supplied diving equipment" means diving equipment which includes:

• a bail-out system;
• an underwater communications system, a surface control panel;
• a umbilical cord; and
• a full-face mask or helmet in which the supply of suitable breathing mixture is dependent on a continuous supply from the surface of the water;

"the Act" means the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993);

"umbilical cord" means a life support line, comprising of a gas supply, pneumofathom meter, and communicator's cable, and which has strength equivalent to that of a life line;

"warning signal" means-

1. by day, flag A as defined in the international Code of Signals; and
2. by night, the lights as defined in the international Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea, 1983.

Scope of applications

2. (1) Subject to subregulation (2) these regulations shall apply to all diving operations and all persons engaged in diving operations in the Republic of South Africa or the territorial waters thereof.

(2) These regulations shall not apply to persons who-

1. use no diving apparatus;
2. are engaged in diving other than as employees; or
3. are medical personnel who have to take part in compression chamber dives for the purpose of therapeutic treatment of diving illness.

Training of divers

3. (1) No person shall train another person to dive unless he/she has been approved as a diving school in terms of subregulation (2).

(2) Any person who has at his/her disposal such staff, plant, equipment and other ancillary facilities as to enable him/her to offer the curriculum of instruction and training for learner divers framed by the chief inspector, may apply in writing to the chief inspector for approval as a diving school to train learner divers and the chief inspector may approve such application subject to such conditions as he/she may impose.

(3) A learner diver-

1. shall undergo underwater diving training for the periods prescribed in subregulation(5) and in accordance with the curriculum of training framed by the chief inspector;
2. shall be under the personal supervision of a diving supervisor and be accompanied by a person registered as a diver in terms of regulation 14 while diving: Provided that if the diving supervisor is satisfied that the learner diver is sufficiently experienced, the learner diver may be permitted to undertake dives, unaccompanied, to a diving depth of not more than 20 m, and
3. may, if the diving supervisor is satisfied that the learner diver is sufficiently experienced, dive unaccompanied deeper than 20m if the dive is performed with surface-supplied diving equipment or the learner diver is attached to a lifeline.

(4) A diving supervisor shall ensure that every learner diver, within 24 hours of completion of a dive performed by him, enters full particulars of such dive in his diver's logbook and signs the entry, and shall thereafter countersign the entry.

(5) A learner diver shall undergo underwater diving training of not less than-

1. 15 hours' bottom time, to depths not exceeding 30 m, so as to qualify for registration as a class IV scuba air diver.
2. five hours' bottom time, additional training to a class IV scuba air diver, to depths not exceeding 30 m, so as to qualify for registration as a class IV scuba nitrox diver.
3. 20 hours' bottom time, to depths not exceeding 50 m, so as to qualify for registration as a class III surface-supplied air diver;
4. 35 hours' bottom time, to depths not exceeding 50 m, so as to qualify for registration as a class II surface-supplied air diver; and
5. 10 hours' bottom time, additional training, to a class II surface-supplied air diver, to depths not exceeding 70m, with the use of an open bell and diving stage, so as to qualify for registration as a class II surface-supplied mixed gas diver.

(6) No person shall be trained as a class I saturation diver unless he/she has since his/her registration as a class II surface-supplied mixed gas diver spent at least 50 hours of bottom time in diving operations, at least 15 hours of which were spent at depths greater than 20 m.

(7) So as to qualify for registration as a class I saturation diver, a diver shall undergo underwater diving training of not less than 50 hours' bottom time at depths at least 100 m below the surface.

(8) No person shall be registered as a class I saturation, class II surface-supplied mixed gas, class II surface-supplied air, class II surface-supplied air., class IV scuba nitrox or class IV scuba air diver unless he/she has attained a satisfactory standard of competence in respect of the additional matters set out in Annexure 3.

Designated medical practitioners, medical examinations and medical certificates of fitness

4. (1) The Institute for Maritime Medicine may designate medical practitioners to undertake the medical examination of divers or prospective divers: Provided that only medical practitioners who are registered with the South African Medical and Dental Council and who have completed a course in underwater medicine under the auspices of the Institute for Maritime Medicine shall be designated.

(2) A designation in terms of subregulation (1) shall lapse after a period of four years, unless the designated medical practitioner concerned furnishes proof before the expiry of such period that he has completed a refresher course in underwater medicine recognised by the Institute for Maritime Medicine.

(3) A designated medical practitioner shall, if so requested-

1. carry out a medical examination, including such tests as are required by the Institute for Maritime Medicine, and
2. issue a medical certificate of fitness to the diver or learner diver based on the results of the medical examination or endorse such certificate subsequent to each medical re- examination prescribed in subregulation (4).

(4) A diver shall report for a medical examination by a designated medical practitioner at least once every 12 months and the designated medical practitioner shall examine the diver in respect of such aspects as are required by the Institute for Maritime Medicine: Provided that when an examination of a specialised nature is required the designated medical practitioner need not personally perform such examination.

(5) A medical certificate of fitness shall indicate the following:

1. The name and identity number of the person to whom it relates;
2. the date of the medical examination;
3. the date of any X-ray photograph taken for the purpose of the examination;
4. whether the person is considered fit to dive;
5. any limitation on the diving or compression for which the person is considered fit;
6. the period, not exceeding 12 months, for which the person is considered fit;
7. the name, address, telephone number and South African Medical and Dental Council registration number of the designated medical practitioner issuing the certificate as well as the year in which he/she last attended a course in underwater medicine;
8. the signature of the medical practitioner issuing the certificate.

(6) If, on account of indisposition or injury, a diver has been unfit to dive for a period of 14 days or more, he/she shall not again participate in diving and no person shall require or permit him/her to participate in diving unless he/she furnishes the employer with a medical certificate indicating the nature of his/her indisposition or injury and in which a medical practitioner certifies that he/she has recovered from such indisposition or injury: Provided that if in the opinion of the diving supervisor the indisposition or injury of a diver is of such a nature as to make an examination by a designated medical practitioner desirable, such diver shall not participate in diving work until a designated medical practitioner has certified that he/she is once more fit for diving.

(7) Where the medical examination of a diver is required in terms of this regulation his employer shall be responsible for the arrangements and costs connected with such examination: Provided that such employer shall not be responsible in respect of examinations regarding indisposition or injuries not sustained during the execution of the diver's normal duties.

(8) If a medical certificate of fitness is lost or destroyed, the learner diver or diver concerned shall resubmit himself/herself for a medical examination in terms of subregulation (3).

Diving supervisor

5. (1) Unless an employer is a diving supervisor and personally takes charge of all diving operations performed by him/her, he/she shall designate and charge one or more persons in writing with the duty of exercising control of his/her diving operations and ensuring that the provisions of these regulations are complied with.

(2) A person designated and charged in terms of subregulation (1) shall be a diving supervisor: Provided that an employer may, for such reason and for such period as may be approved beforehand by an inspector, designate a diver in writing to act as a diving supervisor.

(3) A diving supervisor or person designated in terms of subregulation (2) shall-

1. at all times be available to deal with emergencies at the site where diving operations are carried out;
2. not dive while he/she is supervising other divers;
3. if another supervisor is not available when he/she has to dive for purposes of inspection and planning, ensure that a diver acts as supervisor for the duration of the dive; and
4. not act as standby diver unless another supervisor is available to take charge of the diving operation: Provided that he/she may act as standby diver for diving operations on scuba undertaken to a depth of not more than 30 m or for scuba dives not requiring decompression stops.

Operations manual

6. (1) An employer shall, after consultation with the employees, ensure that an operations manual is drawn up, and made available to each diving team at the diving location before the commencement of each diving operation.

(2) An operations manual shall contain directions regarding the health and safety of employees, including-

1. the assignments and responsibilities of each diving team member for each diving mode used;
2. safety procedures and checklists for each diving mode used;
3. procedures and checklists for the use, checking and maintenance of equipment for each diving mode used;
4. emergency procedures in the case of-

1. fire;
2. equipment failure; and
3. adverse changes in environmental conditions;

5. procedures for-

1. emergency signalling;
2. emergency assistance under water and on the surface;
3. decompression, including therapeutic recompression and decompression, and the availability of a compression chamber for such purposes;
4. first-aid;
5. obtaining medical assistance, with specific reference to the need for consultation with a designated medical practitioner if decompression sickness should occur:
6. calling for assistance from emergency services, including advance liaison with those services where appropriate;
7. emergency evacuation of the work site; and
8. the provision of emergency supplies.

Control of diving operations

7. (1) Prior to commencing diving operations an employer shall ensure that-

1. the personnel necessary for rendering assistance to a diver, as well as those members of the personnel who may be required in case of an emergency as per Annexure4, are on standby and that all equipment which may be required for use in case of an emergency is ready for immediate use;
2. persons who have been trained to operate compression chambers take charge of such chambers and remain on duty while such chambers are in use and are available while diving operations are in progress;
3. a diver who participates in a dive, is provided with all the necessary diving equipment in order to safeguard his health and safety;
4. a diver who participates in a dive is, according to his/her logbook, qualified in the use of the diving equipment concerned;
5. all diving equipment used for any diving operation is checked and tested before use by the diving team in order to determine whether it is in good working order;
6. the maximum bottom time of a dive, the decompression schedule and the technique to be used in any diving operation are made known to and are understood by the diving team;
7. the diving team has been systematically and thoroughly informed and trained with regard to the procedures to be followed in case of emergency; and
8. sufficient emergency medical oxygen is available when diving operations are undertaken.

(2) During the performance of diving operations an employer shall ensure that-

1. good discipline is continuously maintained and that diving operations are carried out safely and strictly in accordance with the manner planned by the diving supervisor and that the bottom time and decompression schedule referred to in subregulation (1)(f) are strictly adhered to;
2. for any dive there is-

1. at least one person who is qualified to render first-aid and who has a thorough knowledge of the first-aid treatment to be applied and the use of all equipment used in drowning, decompression sickness and other ailments associated with diving operations;
2. a person who is qualified as a life-support technician when saturation or bell dives are undertaken;

3. only in-date divers participate in diving;
4. no diver who on account of indisposition or physical or mental infirmity considers himself/herself unfit to participate in diving, or who is considered unfit therefor by the diving supervisor, participates in any diving or is permitted or required to participate in any diving;
5. life-lines, buddy lines and surface markers are used: Provided that if the diving supervisor and the diver consider, the use thereof hazardous or impracticable at the dive location, they may dispense with the use thereof, except that in the case of the standby diver a lifeline shall be used;
6. a shot line is used when the diver is not lowered to the underwater working place by means of a diving bell, unless the use of a shot line is impracticable;
7. each diver is able to communicate with the surface control point, except where a buddy line is used as contemplated in paragraph (e), in which case at least one of the divers shall be able to communicate with the surface control point;
8. for diving at a depth exceeding 50 m, a diving stage is used, except when a bell is provided: Provided that a bell shall be used for all diving operations at a depth exceeding 70 m except when a diver uses standard diving dress or dives in a physically confined space: Provided further that a closed bell shall be used for all diving operations at a depth exceeding 100 m;
9. no diver undertakes a dive-

1. in contravention of any condition or restriction imposed on him/her in terms of these regulations; and
2. unless he/she is fully conversant with such machinery and the use of such tools and equipment as may be required in the performance of his/her work underwater;

10. no diver undertakes a dive to a depth greater than that for which the equipment he/she uses is suitable;
11. no diver dives to a depth greater that for which he/she is qualified: Provided that a class IV scuba air diver may undertake dives to a depth not exceeding 50 m if the decompression time does not exceed 20 minutes;
12. no diver uses air for any diving operation at a depth exceeding 50 m, except where such use is for therapeutic or training purposes in a compression chamber;
13. for all diving modes, a sufficient supply of the appropriate breathing mixture is readily available at the required pressure to provide for all the activities of the diving team for the duration of the diving operation, excluding the divers' bail-out cylinders;
14. all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that air supplies to divers is pure and that such air complies with the requirements of the South African Bureau of Standards' Code of Practice for Portable Metal Containers for Compressed Gases No. 019-1985;
15. where a diving operation is to be carried out at night-

1. a lamp or other device is attached to the diver to indicate his/her position when he/she is on the surface, and
2. the place on the surface or the bell from which the diving is carried out, is illuminated: Provided that where such illumination is undesirable, it may be switched off during the diving operation;

16. depth measuring devices are used and, where reasonably practicable, such devices are suitable for monitoring from the surface;
17. a diving operations record is kept as contemplated in Annexure 2 and is completed within 24 hours of completion of the diving operation, and is made available to an inspector on request and is kept for a minimum of two years after the last entry;
18. every diver, within 24 hours of completion of a dive, enters full particulars of the dive in his/her diver's logbook as contemplated in Annexure 1 and that the entry is signed by the diver and countersigned by the diving supervisor;
19. the appropriate warning signals are given and the appropriate signs are prominently displayed while diving is in progress;
20. a boat is kept readily available for rescue purposes if the possibility exists that the diver may surface away from the control point in the course of a dive; and
21. all other reasonable safety measures are taken which may be necessary for the safe execution of any particular diving operation and that the safety measures are strictly adhered to.

Decompression

8. (1) An employer shall ensure that no matches, cigarette lighted, smoking requisites or any flammable articles likely to cause a fire or explosion are at any time taken into or stored in the compression chambers.

(2) No employer shall require or permit any diver in his/her employ to perform a dive, and no diver shall perform a dive, unless decompression is carried out in accordance with the techniques, decompression tables and decompression times determined by the diving supervisor.

(3) An employer shall ensure that a complete copy of the decompression tables contemplated in subregulation (2), together with the relevant explanatory procedures, is available for the information of the diving team on the site where diving operations are being performed: Provided that abstracts from the decompression tables may be made available for the information of the diving team: Provided further that the employer shall produce the appropriate identifiable decompression tables when required to do so by an inspector.

(4) Subject to regulation 8 of the General Administrative Regulations published on 6 September 1996 under Government Notice No.R.1449, an employer shall ensure that a record, which shall be open for inspection by an inspector, is kept of all incidents of decompression illness and shall ensure that all such cases are investigated.

Compression chambers and belle

9. (1) No person shall use, order or permit the use of any compression chamber or bell unless-

1. it has been designed and manufactured in accordance with a health and safety standard incorporated into these regulations in terms of section 44 of the Act;
2. it has been manufactured under the supervision of an approved inspection authority; and
3. he/she is in possession of a certificate of manufactured issued by the manufacturer in which it is certified that the compression chamber or bell has been designed, manufactured and tested in every respect in accordance with the standard contemplated in subregulation (1)(a): Provided that such certificate of manufacture shall be countersigned by the approved inspection authority as evidence that the design of such vessel has been verified and that it has been manufactured and tested in accordance with the relevant standard.

(2) An employer shall ensure that every compression chamber

1. has an uncontaminated supply of breathing mixture, sufficient for one complete therapeutic compression treatment, available in storage cylinders or other suitable vessels at the compression chamber;
2. is equipped with pressure relief devices which are set so as to prevent the internal pressure in any compartment from rising in excess of 10% above the maximum intended working pressure and which are designed to automatically close when the internal pressure returns to the intended working pressure after pressure relief;
3. is equipped with a breathing point for each occupant for ready use during a compression operation as well as suitable means for avoiding oxygen build-up in the chamber;
4. is provided with portholes of sufficient size to enable everyone in the chamber to be observed from outside;
5. is equipped for adequate humidity control, heating, cooling and illumination of the interior;
6. is equipped with the necessary valves, gauges and other fittings to indicate and control the internal pressures of each compartment from outside the chamber;
7. is provided with a two-way oral communication system between persons outside and inside the chamber;
8. is designed to limit the risk of fire and equipped to extinguish a fire in the interior;
9. has a minimum design pressure rating of 600 kPa for diving operations not exceeding a depth of 90 m: Provided that for diving operations in excess of 90 m, the design pressure rating of the compression chamber shall be equivalent to the maximum depth of the diving operation: Provided further that where a closed diving bell is used which is equipped to undergo recompression at the surface equivalent to the depth of the diving operation, the minimum design pressure rating of the compression chamber shall be 600 kPa;
10. is designed to prevent opening under pressure and, where necessary, is equipped with interlocks for this purpose;
11. is equipped for operating all installed locking devices from both sides of a closed hatch;
12. is so designed that, where a closed bell is used, a person can transfer under pressure from the compression chamber to the bell and from the bell to the compression chamber;
13. is fitted with adequate equipment and reserve facilities to supply and maintain the correct breathing mixture to everyone inside the chamber.

(3) An employer shall ensure that every closed diving bell-

1. is equipped in such a manner that a diver is able to enter and leave it without difficulty;
2. is equipped with doors that act as pressure seals and that may be opened from either side;
3. is equipped with such valves, gauges and other fittings made of suitable materials as are necessary to indicate and control the pressure within the bell and to indicate to the occupants and to the diving supervisor the external pressure on the bell;
4. is fitted with equipment and reserve facilities which are adequate for supplying the correct breathing mixture to persons inside or working from the bell;
5. is fitted with an oral communication system which enables contact to be maintained between a diver who leaves the bell, a person remaining in it and the place on the surface from which the diving operation is carried out;
6. is fitted with equipment for lighting and heating the bell;
7. contains adequate first-aid facilities and is fitted with lifting equipment by which an unconscious or injured diver can be hoisted into the bell by a person inside the bell;
8. is equipped in such a manner that-

1. It can send signals through the water so that it can speedily be located in an emergency and;
2. the lives of persons trapped in it can be sustained for at least 24 hours;

9. is used in conjunction with lifting gear which enables the bell, without excessive lateral, vertical or rotational movement, to be lowered to the depth from which the diving operations are to be carried on, maintained in its position or raised; and
10. is provided with equipment by which it can be brought to the surface without using theme lifting gear: Provided that where such equipment involves the shedding of weights, such weights shall be capable of being shed by a person inside the bell and the equipment shall be so designed as to prevent accidental shedding.

(4) An employer shall ensure that every compression chamber or bell is inspected, tested and maintained in accordance with the provisions of the Health and Safety Standard used in the design and manufacture of such compression chamber or bell: Provided that where such code or Health and Safety Standard contains no such provisions the inspections, tests and maintenance shall be carried out by a person competent to carry out such inspection, tests and maintenance by virtue of his/her training and experience as provided for in the Lloyds Register of Shipping Rules and Regulations for the Construction and Classification of Submersibles and Diving Systems: Provided further that where an employer proposes to execute repairs to a compression chamber or bell he/she shall ascertain beforehand from an approved inspection authority the requirements with respect to such repairs and carry out such repairs under the supervision of an approved inspection authority.

Plant and equipment

10. An employer shall ensure that

1. all diving equipment and machinery which is used in connection with any diving operation or underwater work is designed, manufactured and maintained in accordance with Health and Safety Standard in good working order and is properly used;
2. plant and equipment necessary for divers to safely enter and leave the water is available during diving operations; and
3. a compression chamber with all necessary ancillary equipment is available for immediate use whenever diving takes place

1. at a depth exceeding 50 m;
2. at a depth exceeding 10 m but not exceeding 50 m where the routine decompression time exceeds 20 minutes; or
3. at a depth exceeding 10 m but not exceeding 50 m where the routine decompression time is 20 minutes or less and effective arrangements have not been made for a diver requiring therapeutic recompression to be brought to a suitable chamber within two hours from the time when the need for recompression is identified; and

4. each compression chamber registered before 4 January 1991, may be used until it is no longer useful if it is maintained in accordance with regulation 9(5)

Council for Diving Work

11. (1) The chief inspector shall establish a council for diving consisting of-

1. an officer of the Department, who shall be the chairperson;
2. not more than one inspector;
3. one person to represent the Department of Minerals and Energy; and
4. one person to represent the Institute for Maritime Medicine:

Provided that the chief inspector may authorise the council to co-opt persons who have specialised knowledge of the matters dealt with by the council.

(2) The chief inspector shall appoint the members of the council for such period as he/she may determine at the time of appointment: Provided that the chief inspector may discharge a member at any time and appoint a new member in his/her place.

(3) The Council shall-

1. make recommendations and submit reports to the chief inspector regarding any matter to which these regulations relate;
2. advice the chief inspector regarding any matter referred to the council by the chief inspector;
3. perform such other functions as may be requested by the chief inspector;
4. refer appeals against decisions of the council to the chief inspector; and
5. conduct its work in accordance with the instructions and rules of conduct framed by the chief inspector.

(4) A person affected by any decision of the council may appeal against such decision to the chief inspector, and the decision of the chief inspector shall be final and binding.

Rules, syllabi and examinations

12. (1) The chief inspector shall, in consultation with the council, frame or amend rules for the conduct of examinations and syllabi for such examinations as occasion may require.

(2) The persons designated in terms of regulation 11(3)(a) shall at least three months before an examination is conducted, inform the provincial director in writing of the place and time of such examination.

Registration as learner diver

13. Any person who satisfies the approved diving school that-

1. he/she is at least 18 years old;
2. he/she is in possession of a valid medical certificate of fitness in which he is certified fit to participate in diving;
3. if he/she is a minor, he/she has the written consent of his parent or guardian to register as a learner diver; and
4. he/she has been admitted to the approved diving school, shall be registered as a learner diver by the approved diving school and be furnished with a certificate of registration which shall be valid for the duration of the course and which may be renewed by the approved diving school at its discretion.

Registration as a diver

14. Any person who satisfies the approved diving school that-

1. he/she received appropriate training in diving operations with an organisation approved for diver training as contemplated in regulation 3;
2. that he/she has passed the relevant examination for divers;
3. he/she is in possession of a level I first-aid qualification; and
4. he/she is in possession of a valid medical certificate of fitness in which he/she is certified fit to participate in diving,

shall be registered as a class I saturation, class II surface-supplied mixed gas, class II surface-supplied air, class III surface-supplied air, class IV scuba nitrox or class IV scuba air diver, as the case may be, and the approved diving school shall furnish him/her with a certificate of registration, subject to such conditions or restrictions as the approved diving school may deem necessary.

Registration as a diving supervisor

15. Any person who satisfies the approved diving school that

1. he/she has acquired at least two years' experience in all aspects of diving operations after having been registered as either a class I saturation, class II surface-supplied mixed gas or class II surface-supplied air diver and at least one year of such experience after having been registered as a class III surface-supplied air diver or class IV scuba nitrox or class IV scuba air diver;
2. he/she is in possession of a level al first-aid qualification; and
3. he/she has passed the relevant examination for diving supervisors, shall be registered as a class I saturation, class II surface-supplied mixed gas, class II surface-supplied air, class III surface-supplied air, class IV scuba nitrox or class IV scuba air diving supervisor, as the case may be, and the approved diving school shall furnish him/her with a certificate of registration, subject to such conditions or restrictions as the approved diving school may deem necessary.

Applications

16. Application for registration as a learner diver, diver, or diving supervisor, as the case may be, or for the re-issue of a certificate that has been lost, damaged or destroyed, shall be made directly to the approved diving school where the training was received.

Offences and penalties

17. Any person who contravenes or fails to comply with any provision of regulations 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 or 10 shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months and, in the case of a continues offence, to an additional fine of R200 or additional imprisonment of one day for each day on which the offence continues: Provided that the period of such additional imprisonment shall in no case exceed 90 days.

Short title

18. These regulations shall be called the Draft Amended Diving Regulations, 1999.

ANNEXURE 1
(On front cover)
DIVER'S LOGBOOK

PERSONAL DETAILS OF DIVER

Type of diving equipment for which diver is qualified:

Name of employer

PARTICULARS OF DIVING OPERATIONS

DIVING OPERATIONS RECORD

• NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE COMPANY

• LOCATION, TIME AND DATE OF DIVING OPERATIONS

• NAMES OF THE DIVING SUPERVISOR, STANDBY DIVER, DIVER AND LINE ATTENDANT

• DEPTH OF DIVE

• BOTTOM TIME

• APPROXIMATE WATER TEMPERATURE AND THERMAL PROTECTION USED

• ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS (approximate sea state, underwater visibility and underwater currents)

• DECOMPRESSION TABLES AND SCHEDULE

• ELAPSED TIME SINCE LAST PRESSURE EXPOSURE IF LESS THAN 24 HOURS OR REPETITIVE DIVE DESIGNATION

• BREATHING MIXTURE USED AND COMPOSITION

• TYPE OF WORK PERFORMED

• TYPE OF DIVING EQUIPMENT WORN

• ANY UNUSUAL CONDITIONS, e.g. such as contaminated water

FOR EACH FOR WHICH A DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS IS SUSPECTED OR SYMPTOMS ARE EVIDENT, THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SHALL BE RECORDED AND MAINTAINED:

-    Description of decompression sickness symptoms, including depth and time of onset

-    Description and results of treatment

ANNEXURE 3

Regulation 3 (7) of the Diving Regulations, 1999

1. Additional matters in respect of which class I saturation diver has to attain a satisfactory standard of competence are the following:

1. The theory of mixed gas, saturation and bell diving.
2. Gases and gas systems.
3. Diving safely and competently to depths exceeding 70 m from a diving bell.
4. Use of diver communication systems appropriate to mixed gas, saturation and bell diving.
5. Diving bell operation, lockout and re-entry procedures, transferring to surface compression chamber, recompression on mixed gas, decompression and decompression tables appropriate to mixed gas, saturation and bell diving.
6. Emergency procedures for mixed gas, saturation and bell diving.
7. First aid appropriate to emergencies arising in mixed gas, saturation and bell diving.
8. Relevant legislation and guidance.
9. Appropriate practical training for deep diving.

2. Matters in respect of which a class II surface-supplied mixed gas diver has to attain a satisfactory standard of competence are the following:

1. The theory of mixed gas and bell diving.
2. Gases and gas systems.
3. Diving safely and competently in various conditions not exceeding 70 m in depth with the aid of a stage and an open bell.
4. Use of diver communication systems appropriate to mixed gas and bell diving.
5. Diving bell operations, recompression on mixed gas, decompression and decompression tables appropriate to mixed gas and bell diving.
6. Emergency procedures for mixed gas and bell diving.
7. First aid appropriate to emergencies arising in mixed gas and bell diving.
8. Relevant legislation and guidance.
9. Surface compression chamber operations and therapeutic recompression appropriate to mixed gas diving.
10. Appropriate practical training for deep diving.

3. Matters in respect of which a class II surface-supplied air diver has to attain a satisfactory standard of competence are the following:

1. The theory of air diving.
2. Use of scuba and surface-supplied diving equipment.
3. Diving safely and competently in various conditions not exceeding 50 m in depth, including the safe use of hand tools, power tools and equipment.
4. Use of diver communication systems appropriate to air diving.
5. Emergency procedures for air diving.
6. Surface compression chamber operations, therapeutic recompression, decompression and decompression tables appropriate to air diving.
7. First aid appropriate to emergencies arising in air diving.
8. Relevant legislation and guidance.
9. Appropriate practical training for deep diving.

4. Matters in respect of which a class IV scuba nitrox diver has to attain a satisfactory standard of competence are those matters specified for a class IV scuba air diver. including the following:

1. The theory of nitrox diving to 30 m.
2. Gases and gas systems appropriate to nitrox on scuba.
3. Decompression tables and recompression.
4. Emergency procedures for nitrox on scuba.
5. First aid appropriate to emergencies arising out of nitrox diving.
6. Appropriate practical training for diving with scuba nitrox equipment.

5. Matters in respect of which a class IV scuba air diver has to attain a satisfactory standard of competence are the following:

1. The theory of air diving.
2. Use of scuba.
3. Diving safely and competently in various conditions at depths not exceeding 30 m.
4. Use of diver communication systems appropriate to air diving.
5. Emergency procedures for air diving.
6. Therapeutic recompression, decompression and decompression tables appropriate to air diving.
7. First aid appropriate to emergencies arising in air diving.
8. Relevant legislation and guidance.
9. Appropriate practical training for scuba diving.

ANNEXURE 4

PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS