Commercial diver registration in South Africa

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Commercial divers as defined in the Diving Regulations to the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 are required to be registered with the Department of Employment and Labour (previously Department of Labour). [1] [2] The Department of Employment and Labour has jurisdiction only within the national borders of South Africa, and therefore registered diving schools are required to operate within the borders of South Africa where the Diving Regulations apply. A registered diving school is required to comply with the Code of Practice for Commercial Diver Training, and the training standards published by the department for divers, supervisors and instructors respectively. [1] [3]

Contents

Conditions for registration as a commercial diver in classes 1 through 6, as a diving supervisor in classes 1 through 4 and diving instructor in classes 1 through 4 are that the applicant is medically fit in terms of Regulation 20 and registered on the SAUHMA database, is in possession of an in-date first aid certificate to the specified standard (Level 1 for divers, Level 2 for supervisors), and has been assessed as competent against the training standard that applies to the class of registration by a commercial diving school registered with the Department of Employment and Labour. [1]

Initial registration as a diver, supervisor or instructor is done through the school which assessed the person as competent against the relevant standard. This is generally the school at which the person was trained. [3] There is no requirement for a registered diver, supervisor or instructor to renew registration periodically, but there are conditions under which registration may legally be withdrawn. [1] Recognition of prior learning and international reciprocal recognition of diver competence applies in some cases.

Application for registration

Initial application for registration as a diver, supervisor or instructor can only be done through the registered diving school at which assessment was done. [3] Application for replacement of lost certificates can be done through the school or directly to the Department of Labour.

A registration card is issued to the applicant as evidence of registration. The format has changed over the years, but the older cards are still valid as they have no expiry date. Any card is evidence of prerequisite registration, for example, a Class 3 Instructor implies that the holder is also qualified as Class 3 and 4 diver, supervisor and instructor. Normally only one card is carried. The card is not evidence of current medical fitness to dive or current first aid registration.

Classes of diver

Class 4 diver registration card: SA Department of Labour 2003 Class 4 Diver registration card.jpg
Class 4 diver registration card: SA Department of Labour 2003

The following classes of diver are defined in the Diving Regulations and training standards. [1]

Where not specifically limited, a diver may be employed on diving operations under whichever of the published codes of practice is appropriate to the specific operation. [1]

Classes of diving supervisor

Class 4 Diving Supervisor registration card: SA Department of Labour 2007 Class 4 supervisor card.jpg
Class 4 Diving Supervisor registration card: SA Department of Labour 2007

The following classes of diving supervisor are defined in the training standards:

There are no supervisors limited to class 5 and 6 diving operations. Class 4 supervisor is the default minimum for these.

To register as a supervisor a person must, in terms of the training standard, first be competent and experienced as a diver of the same class and as a supervisor at the next lower class, except for Class 4 Supervisor, which is the initial level for diving supervisors. The class of supervisor relates to the type of diving work that may be supervised, not the class of diver that may be supervised. [1]

Classes of diving instructor

Class 3 Diving Instructor registration card: SA Department of Labour 2010 SA DoL Class III Diving Instructor PC160007.jpg
Class 3 Diving Instructor registration card: SA Department of Labour 2010

The following classes of diving instructor are defined in the training standards:

There are no instructors limited to class 5 and 6 diver training. Class 4 instructor is the default minimum for these.

To register as an instructor a person must, in terms of the training standard, first be competent and experienced as supervisor of the same class. The class of instructor relates to the highest class of diver and supervisor the instructor may be responsible for training and assessing. Registration of instructors requires specialised additional training in educational procedures such as adult education and training and assessment methods, for which diving schools are generally not registered. These requirements are acquired at other training establishments, but the final application for registration as a diving instructor of a specific class is through a diving school registered for that class of training. Special cases may be handled directly by the DAB at their discretion or at the request of the Chief Inspector.

Registration of Designated Medical Practitioners

Designated Medical Practitioners are medical practitioners registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa who have completed a course in underwater medicine approved by the Chief Inspector and have been designated for a four-year term by the Chief Inspector. [1] :R19 There are two levels:

Registration of diving schools

Any person may apply to register a commercial diving school provided the requirements of the Diving Regulations, the Code of Practice for Diver Training, and the training standards for the class of registration are met This applies to staff, equipment and facilities, and an instructor registered to train the class for which application is made. A school is registered for training to a class which includes divers and supervisors of that class and all prerequisite classes. The school is not obliged to provide training in all programmes for which it is registered, but is required to remain compliant with all specified requirements while it is registered. The applicant is responsible for providing all evidence of compliance, and will be audited before registration.

Commercial diving schools currently registered

The Diving Advisory Board

The Diving Advisory Board (DAB) to the Department of Employment and Labour is a group comprising members appointed by the Chief Inspector of the Department of Employment and Labour in terms of Regulation 23 for a period specified at the time of appointment. [1] The DAB is made up as follows:

Additional temporary members may be co-opted to the board as and when their expertise is expected to be useful and relevant to a specific project. With the exception of the chairperson and labour inspector, the members are not employed by or contracted to the DoL. Service on the DAB is voluntary and not remunerated, though major travelling expenses are paid.

The DAB is required to make recommendations and reports to the Chief Inspector regarding matters within the scope of the Diving Regulations and advise the Chief Inspector on matters referred to the DAB. This includes compilation and revision of training standards, assessments and codes of practice, and recommendations for revisions of the Diving Regulations. [1]

History

Previous to the Diving Regulations 2009, the registration of divers was in terms of the Diving Regulations 2001. Registrations made under the earlier conditions remain valid although the standards for registration have changed. [15]

International recognition

Diving qualifications with specified reciprocal recognition do not require RPL as the diver may work in South Africa with the existing recognised registration. This applies only to diver registration. Supervisors and instructors must be registered locally to work as supervisors and instructors as the legal requirements are significantly different.[ citation needed ]

Recognition of prior learning

Recognition of prior learning is a right of any South African citizen,[ citation needed ] but can only be applied when a registered diving school has an RPL policy and procedures in place, as it must follow that policy and procedures. Competence and experience standards for RPL are theoretically identical to the equivalent standards for training and assessment through a formal training programme. RPL for foreign nationals is at the discretion of the diving school, who will be responsible for ensuring that all standards, policies and procedures are complied with.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

A divemaster (DM) is a role that includes organising and leading recreational dives, particularly in a professional capacity, and is a qualification used in many parts of the world in recreational scuba diving for a diver who has supervisory responsibility for a group of divers and as a dive guide. As well as being a generic term, 'Divemaster' is the title of the first professional rating of many training agencies, such as PADI, SSI, SDI, NASE, except NAUI, which rates a NAUI Divemaster under a NAUI Instructor but above a NAUI Assistant Instructor. The divemaster certification is generally equivalent to the requirements of ISO 24801-3 Dive Leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving activities</span> Things people do while diving underwater

Diving activities are the things people do while diving underwater. People may dive for various reasons, both personal and professional. While a newly qualified recreational diver may dive purely for the experience of diving, most divers have some additional reason for being underwater. Recreational diving is purely for enjoyment and has several specialisations and technical disciplines to provide more scope for varied activities for which specialist training can be offered, such as cave diving, wreck diving, ice diving and deep diving. Several underwater sports are available for exercise and competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recreational diving</span> Diving for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment, usually when using scuba equipment

Recreational diving or sport diving is diving for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment, usually when using scuba equipment. The term "recreational diving" may also be used in contradistinction to "technical diving", a more demanding aspect of recreational diving which requires more training and experience to develop the competence to reliably manage more complex equipment in the more hazardous conditions associated with the disciplines. Breath-hold diving for recreation also fits into the broader scope of the term, but this article covers the commonly used meaning of scuba diving for recreational purposes, where the diver is not constrained from making a direct near-vertical ascent to the surface at any point during the dive, and risk is considered low.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professional diving</span> Underwater diving where divers are paid for their work

Professional diving is underwater diving where the divers are paid for their work. The procedures are often regulated by legislation and codes of practice as it is an inherently hazardous occupation and the diver works as a member of a team. Due to the dangerous nature of some professional diving operations, specialized equipment such as an on-site hyperbaric chamber and diver-to-surface communication system is often required by law, and the mode of diving for some applications may be regulated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial diving</span> Professional diving on industrial projects

Commercial diving may be considered an application of professional diving where the diver engages in underwater work for industrial, construction, engineering, maintenance or other commercial purposes which are similar to work done out of the water, and where the diving is usually secondary to the work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Police diving</span> A branch of professional diving carried out by police services

Police diving is a branch of professional diving carried out by police services. Police divers are usually professional police officers, and may either be employed full-time as divers or as general water police officers, or be volunteers who usually serve in other units but are called in if their diving services are required.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving medicine</span> Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders caused by underwater diving

Diving medicine, also called undersea and hyperbaric medicine (UHB), is the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of conditions caused by humans entering the undersea environment. It includes the effects on the body of pressure on gases, the diagnosis and treatment of conditions caused by marine hazards and how relationships of a diver's fitness to dive affect a diver's safety. Diving medical practitioners are also expected to be competent in the examination of divers and potential divers to determine fitness to dive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientific diving</span> Use of diving techniques in the pursuit of scientific knowledge

Scientific diving is the use of underwater diving techniques by scientists to perform work underwater in the direct pursuit of scientific knowledge. The legal definition of scientific diving varies by jurisdiction. Scientific divers are normally qualified scientists first and divers second, who use diving equipment and techniques as their way to get to the location of their fieldwork. The direct observation and manipulation of marine habitats afforded to scuba-equipped scientists have transformed the marine sciences generally, and marine biology and marine chemistry in particular. Underwater archeology and geology are other examples of sciences pursued underwater. Some scientific diving is carried out by universities in support of undergraduate or postgraduate research programs, and government bodies such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the UK Environment Agency carry out scientific diving to recover samples of water, marine organisms and sea, lake or riverbed material to examine for signs of pollution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diver certification</span> Certification as competent to dive to a specified standard

A Diving certification or C-card is a document recognizing that an individual or organization authorized to do so, "certifies" that the bearer has completed a course of training as required by the agency issuing the card. This is assumed to represent a defined level of skill and knowledge in underwater diving. Divers carry a qualification record or certification card which may be required to prove their qualifications when booking a dive trip, hiring scuba equipment, filling diving cylinders or in the case of professional divers, seeking employment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bailout bottle</span> Emergency gas supply cylinder carried by a diver

A bailout bottle (BoB) or, more formally, bailout cylinder is a scuba cylinder carried by an underwater diver for use as an emergency supply of breathing gas in the event of a primary gas supply failure. A bailout cylinder may be carried by a scuba diver in addition to the primary scuba set, or by a surface supplied diver using either free-flow or demand systems. The bailout gas is not intended for use during the dive except in an emergency, and would be considered a fully redundant breathing gas supply if used correctly. The term may refer to just the cylinder, or the bailout set or emergency gas supply (EGS), which is the cylinder with the gas delivery system attached. The bailout set or bailout system is the combination of the emergency gas cylinder with the gas delivery system to the diver, which includes a diving regulator with either a demand valve, a bailout block, or a bailout valve (BOV).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving supervisor</span> Professional diving team leader responsible for safety

The diving supervisor is the professional diving team member who is directly responsible for the diving operation's safety and the management of any incidents or accidents that may occur during the operation; the supervisor is required to be available at the control point of the diving operation for the diving operation's duration, and to manage the planned dive and any contingencies that may occur. Details of competence, requirements, qualifications, registration and formal appointment differ depending on jurisdiction and relevant codes of practice. Diving supervisors are used in commercial diving, military diving, public safety diving and scientific diving operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diver training</span> Processes by which people develop the skills and knowledge to dive safely underwater

Diver training is the set of processes through which a person learns the necessary and desirable skills to safely dive underwater within the scope of the diver training standard relevant to the specific training programme. Most diver training follows procedures and schedules laid down in the associated training standard, in a formal training programme, and includes relevant foundational knowledge of the underlying theory, including some basic physics, physiology and environmental information, practical skills training in the selection and safe use of the associated equipment in the specified underwater environment, and assessment of the required skills and knowledge deemed necessary by the certification agency to allow the newly certified diver to dive within the specified range of conditions at an acceptable level of risk. Recognition of prior learning is allowed in some training standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving instructor</span> Person who trains and assesses underwater divers

A diving instructor is a person who trains and usually also assesses competence of underwater divers. This includes freedivers, recreational divers including the subcategory technical divers, and professional divers which includes military, commercial, public safety and scientific divers.

Diving safety is the aspect of underwater diving operations and activities concerned with the safety of the participants. The safety of underwater diving depends on four factors: the environment, the equipment, behaviour of the individual diver and performance of the dive team. The underwater environment can impose severe physical and psychological stress on a diver, and is mostly beyond the diver's control. Equipment is used to operate underwater for anything beyond very short periods, and the reliable function of some of the equipment is critical to even short-term survival. Other equipment allows the diver to operate in relative comfort and efficiency, or to remain healthy over the longer term. The performance of the individual diver depends on learned skills, many of which are not intuitive, and the performance of the team depends on competence, communication, attention and common goals.

Diving regulations are the stipulations of the delegated legislation regarding the practice of underwater diving. They apply within the national territory and territorial waters of a country. In most cases they apply to occupational diving, but in a few cases also to recreational diving. There are exemptions for recreational diving in some cases where it is recognised as a self-regulated industry. Offshore diving is generally outside the scope of diving regulations, and tends to be self-regulated through voluntary membership of industry organisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving team</span> Group of people working together to enhance dive safety and achieve a task

A diving team is a group of people who work together to conduct a diving operation. A characteristic of professional diving is the specification for minimum personnel for the diving support team. This typically specifies the minimum number of support team members and their appointed responsibilities in the team based on the circumstances and mode of diving, and the minimum qualifications for specified members of the diving support team. The minimum team requirements may be specified by regulation or code of practice. Some specific appointments within a professional dive team have defined competences and registration may be required.

A diver training standard is a document issued by a certification, registration regulation or quality assurance agency, that describes the prerequisites for participation, the aim of the training programme, the specific minimum competences that a candidate must display to be assessed as competent, and the minimum required experience that must be recorded before the candidate can be registered or certified at a specific grade by the agency. A standard is a description of the quality required of a product, or a way of doing something that has usually been derived from the experience of experts in a specific field. The purpose is to provide a reliable method for people to share a reasonably consistent expectation regarding the scope and quality of the product or service. Training standards allow objective comparison between the training provided by various agencies and the competence indicated by certification or registration to the specific standard, though in most cases, training and competence may exceed the minimum requirement much of the time, and variation between newly certified divers can be considerable, partly due to differences in the training, and partly due to qualities of the candidate. Training standards may narrowly prescribe the training, or may concentrate on assessment of exit level competence, and allow recognition of prior learning based on various forms of evidence. To be useful, a training standard must be sufficiently specific to allow agreement on the requirements by most readers reasonably competent in the field, including the instructors, assessors, and learners who must use it, the employers of persons trained, the potential customers, and any quality assurance personnel who may need to enforce it. A training standard may be linked to a code of practice referring to how the training should be carried out.

Recreational scuba certification levels are the levels of skill represented by recreational scuba certification. Each certification level is associated with a specific training standard published by the certification agency, and a training programme associated with the standard., though in some cases recognition of prior learning can apply. These levels of skill can be categorised in several ways:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Department of Labour. "Diving Regulations 2009". Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 – Regulations and Notices – Government Notice R41. Pretoria: Government Printer. Archived from the original on 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2018-12-01 via Southern African Legal Information Institute.
  2. No. 85 of 1993:Occupational Health and Safety Act, as amended by Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act No 181 of 1993 (PDF). Pretoria: Government Printer. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-09-21. Retrieved 2018-12-01 via www.labour.gov.za.
  3. 1 2 3 Diving Advisory Board (2007). Code of Practice for Commercial Diver Training, Revision 3 (PDF). Pretoria: South African Department of Labour. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  4. Diving Advisory Board (October 2007). Class I Training Standard (Revision 5 ed.). South African Department of Labour.
  5. Diving Advisory Board (October 2007). Class II Training Standard (Revision 5 ed.). South African Department of Labour.
  6. Diving Advisory Board (October 2007). Class III Training Standard (Revision 5 ed.). South African Department of Labour.
  7. Diving Advisory Board (October 2007). Class IV Training Standard (Revision 5 ed.). South African Department of Labour. p. 5.
  8. Diving Advisory Board (October 2007). Class V Training Standard. South African Department of Labour.
  9. Diving Advisory Board (October 2007). Class VI Training Standard. South African Department of Labour.
  10. Diving Advisory Board (October 2007). Class I Supervisor Training Standard. South African Department of Labour.
  11. Diving Advisory Board (October 2007). Class II Supervisor Training Standard. South African Department of Labour.
  12. Diving Advisory Board (October 2007). Class III Supervisor Training Standard. South African Department of Labour.
  13. Diving Advisory Board (October 2007). Class IV Supervisor Training Standard. South African Department of Labour. p. 5.
  14. Diving Advisory Board (2018). Class II instructor Training Standard. South African Department of Labour.
  15. Department of Labour (11 January 2002). "Diving regulations 2001 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993". Government Gazette, Republic of South Africa. Vol. 438, no. 2291.
  16. "The IDSA Table of Equivalence: A List of Schools teaching the IDSA Standards together with their National equivalent" (PDF). IDSA. 6 January 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2013.