A more recent piece about intervention by Standards Australia.

Strike


Standards of Safety?
 by David Strike

Recreational diving is coming under increasing attack from sections of the
mainstream media over claims of an apparent failure by the industry to
properly address safety issues.

Fuelled by a handful of highly publicised - but unrelated - tragedies,
journalists have sought comments from anyone prepared to express an opinion
about diving safety.  And as is often the case in such situations, the
emphasis in their subsequent reporting of events has been one of
sensationalism with suggestions that diving is an unregulated activity that
places profit before the well-being of participants.

Conveniently ignoring the fact that diving is already possibly the most -
and best - regulated of all leisure activities, many media reports have
supported claims that the incidents in question may have been averted if
dive operators were bound by a national standard covering all diving
activities.

In at least one instance these assertions have been made by a non-diving
spokesperson for Standards Australia, an independent company that has a
direct financial interest in producing and selling Standards documents to
industry members!

 As nothing more than a convening body that, "brings together individuals
and organizations committed to a common objective - to establish Australian
Standards as national benchmarks for products and services so as to enhance
quality of life and industry efficiency.", it might be suggested, in light
of comments made to the media by their spokespeople, that the organisation
is more concerned with its own agenda than that of the industry that it
purports to assist!

As an adventure activity, the majority of training agencies, equipment
manufacturers and dive operators have long been aware of the need to have in
place standards and practices that emphasise safe enjoyment.  Because of
advances in technology and technique this has been - and will continue to
be - an ongoing process as witnessed by the number of Standards governing
various aspects of diving that are already in place.

Whether this process should continue to be left to the industry alone to
decide upon is a matter of debate?  But regardless, it has to be recognised
that no amount of regulations or standards will guard against the actions of
the individual.  And whether the media, the government, the public, or the
dive industry itself likes it or not, diving does - as a voluntary
activity - emphasise the ultimate responsibility of the individual to take
charge of their own well-being.

That's not to suggest that dive operators ever shirk the duty of care that
they have for their customers.  As far as my experience is concerned, they
don't!  Supported by competent training programmes, educational materials
and an appreciation of the commercial practicalities of being seen to run a
sound operation many of them take safety to extremes.  But regrettably - and
despite all precautions - incidents do still occur.

For the media to then suggest - as was, for example, the case with an SBS
documentary that aired on September 14th - that the industry is flawed; that
it actively resists efforts at safety reform; and that the proposed new
Standard will perhaps prevent similar future tragedies from occurring, is
absurd and poor comfort to the families and friends of those who have come
to grief.

Paradoxically, diving has become a victim of its own success and obsession
with safety!  As a structured activity enjoyed by tens of millions of people
world-wide it has grown into an industry:  One that has already embraced the
need for specialised competency-based training programmes; initiated a host
of procedures to minimise the many potential risks; and that's worth many
millions of dollars to the Australian economy.

Sadly, however, it's also an industry that, here in Australia, lacks a
representative body to speak on its behalf; a short-coming that's helped in
making it an easy target for those who seek to control or direct it to their
own purposes.

There is, of course, no such thing as an "acceptable" level of injury for
any activity, but a cynic might be inclined to suggest that media concern
over the five diving fatalities that have occurred around Australia in the
past twelve months, (as quoted in the SBS programme), may have been better
directed towards trying to reduce the much higher fatality and injury rates
among, say, snow-skiers; rock fishermen; or people just going for a swim in
the ocean!

The difference being, perhaps, that participants' in those fragmented
activities haven't bothered to formulate their own 'codes of practice'; don'
t take safety as seriously as does the diving industry; and who probably
have little interest in purchasing a Standards Australia document!

---ENDS---