To ensure the safety and health of commercial divers in Singapore, it is important they comply with the Code of Practice for Diving at Work (Singapore Standards SS 511).
This was urged by NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay on 19 August 2016 at the Diving Safety Seminar 2016 organised by the Commercial Diving Association Singapore, with the support of Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Employees Union. He was addressing about 80 participants which included service buyers, service providers and industry related unions.
“This Code of Practice is part of our legal framework. Therefore, diving companies are expected to comply with these legal requirements to ensure the safety and health of their divers, which include ensuring their divers and dive supervisors are adequately trained to the national competency standard. The old practice of hiring divers with only sports diving qualifications to carry out commercial diving work must be discontinued,” said ASG Tay.
Preventing Hazards
ASG Tay made his case by giving examples of the occupational hazards that come with commercial diving such as divers being swept away by strong currents, having heart attacks underwater, and drowning. Apart from physical dangers from the work environment, divers face occupational diseases due to being exposed to higher physical pressure of being underwater, he added.
Best Sourcing Practices
ASG Tay also encouraged all existing uncertified divers to undergo formal training and obtain Manpower Ministry-accredited certification in commercial diving. He reminded service buyers of their legal obligation under the Workplace Safety and Health Act to ensure that they employ diving companies that are able to carry out contracted work safely.
“Best sourcing extends beyond traditional low wage sectors like cleaning, landscaping and private security to PME sectors like IT, HR, accounting and in our case professional diving and divers. This is a unique and highly dangerous trade which requires a high level of skills, experience and professionalism. Divers in the Navy are treated as the elite. I would expect divers in the commercial world should also be upheld with the same respect, honour and professionalism by divers themselves, the employers of the divers and service buyers who procure their services,” he said.
