MEDICAL INFORMATION

The following information on the medical requirements for diving is provided by the Queensland Division of Workplace Health & Safety.

UNDERWATER DIVING WORK & MEDICAL CERTIFICATES

People who go diving are exposed to physical conditions which create risks to their health and safety. These risks are increased if the diver is not medically fit to dive.

The best way to minimise exposure to these risks is for people who do underwater diving work to have an annual medical examination.

An examination can reveal medical conditions which prevent a person from being declared medically fit to dive. For medical reasons, a doctor may also issue a certificate with limitations on the diving a person can do.

Annual medical examinations are also useful for monitoring a person's health in case a medical condition develops as a result of long-term exposure to underwater diving work.

WHO HAS TO HOLD A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE?

The new Workplace Health and Safety (Underwater Diving Work) Compliance Standard 1996 came into effect on 2 July 1996 and requires employers, self-employed people and workers who do any type of underwater diving work to hold a current certificate of medical fitness to dive.

This applies across the board to all types of diving work, for example, underwater filming for a movie, fish collecting, or scrubbing the hull of a ship.

A current certificate is one that is less than 12 months old and has not expired, been revoked or superseded.

WHERE CAN YOU GET A CERTIFICATE OF MEDICAL FITNESS TO DIVE?

The certificate must be issued by a doctor who has satisfactorily completed training in diving medicine approved by the Board of Censors of the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society (SPUMS).

At the time of publication, this training included the following courses -

Royal Adelaide Hospital Basic Course in Diving Medicine of the Advanced Course in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine

Royal Australian Navy Submarine and Underwater Medicine Unit Basic Course, Advanced Course or Medical Officer's Course

Diving Medical Centre Medical Examiner Course

Fremantle Hospital Medical Assessment of Divers Course

Royal New Zealand Navy Basic Course

Institute of Naval Medicine (UK) Medical Examiner Course

United States Navy Diving Medical Officer Course

SPUMS can provide details of its members who have completed this training. Also, there are other doctors who have completed one of the above courses but are not members of SPUMS. You can also ring your local medical centre and ask if any doctors in the area have done any of the above training.

WHAT DETAILS MUST BE INCLUDED ON THE CERTIFICATE?

The certificate must show the following:

the name of the person who holds the certificate

the date it was issued

the person is medically fit to dive according to the relevant fitness criteria in AS 2299 - Occupational Diving 1992, appendix A, paragraph A3

any limitations on diving imposed by the doctor, for example, a depth limitation

If the person is under the age of 18, the doctor may issue a certificate.
However, the certificate must show either:

there are no limitations on diving needed even though the person is under 18; or

there are particular limitations on diving imposed because the person is under 18

WHAT DO EMPLOYERS AND SELF-EMPLOYED PEOPLE HAVE TO DO?

It is the employer's responsibility to make sure his or her worker holds a current certificate of medical fitness to dive.

If you are an employer -

you or someone on your behalf must sight your worker's certificate

you must not allow your worker to do any diving work unless he or she holds a current certificate

you must not allow your worker to do any diving work unless he or she holds a current certificate

you must not allow your worker to do any diving work contrary to any limitations stated on the certificate

If you are an employer who is going to do underwater diving work, you can only do so if -

you hold a current certificate; and

the diving work is not contrary to any limitations stated on the certificate

A self-employed person can only do underwater diving work if -

he or she holds a current certificate of medical fitness to dive; and

the diving work is not contrary to any limitations stated on the certificate

DIVING LEGISLATION & INFORMATION

All workplace health and safety legislation is available from the Queensland Division of Workplace Health and Safety at the following addresses: