Commercial Diving Contractors | Experience Matters
At Midco Diving & Marine Services, we pride ourselves on providing safe, reliable, and dependable commercial diving services that maintain industry standards in safety and compliance. A stifling number of poorly trained and unqualified, recreational divers are lost each year to tragedies and mistakes while attempting a commercial diving job. Some end users try to save money when looking for a contractor to take care of problems underwater by hiring unqualified scuba divers for a fraction of the cost of a legitimate commercial diving contractor.
Several incidents involving scuba divers have happened over the years, including one particularly well known incident in Washington state. Two recreationally-trained scuba divers were hired by the Roza Irrigation District to retrieve cars that had been dumped into the Zillah irrigation tunnel. Lacking the professional training and commercial diving experience required to perform such a task, the scuba divers attempted to conduct commercial diving operations without a lifeline (rescue tether) attached to them, no diving tender standing by on the surface, and without a positive means of communication with the other diver in the tunnel, which is something that Washington state and federal labor laws require.
As a result that these two men didn’t take precautions, their inexperience not only cost them their lives but also the lives of two rescue divers that were sent in after them. After the recreationally trained divers failed to surface, rescue divers were sent in. Failing to take the same necessary precautions, the rescue divers too attempted the dive without a safety line or positive means of communication, and like the previous divers, they also miscalculated the amount of breathing air they would need; only taking three scuba tanks total. After 40 minutes without resurfacing, a trained and qualified commercial dive team was sent in to recover the bodies and complete the project.
Many mistakes were made during this tragic event that took the lives of four men; hiring untrained and inexperienced recreational divers, not utilizing a tether-life line, not having any stand-by support, the miscalculations go on and on. Accidents like this can be avoided and risks can be minimized when properly trained and qualified commercial diving companies are hired rather than attempting to save money on unqualified or inexperienced recreational divers.
Midco Diving & Marine Services meets and exceeds the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) regulations for commercial diving, and all of our employed members of the commercial diving team are properly trained, qualified, and certified. A fatal accident is not worth the buck you save by employing recreational divers who are not properly trained and do not have the proper equipment or experience.
Scuba Divers regularly use their recreational diving cards for commercial diving work, and the end users employing them usually either don’t know any better, or are unaware of the standards and regulations that apply to commercial diving operations. These regulations have been established as a safety measure and clearly state that recreational scuba training is not an acceptable level of training for commercial diving operations.
Hiring a commercial dive company to complete underwater projects rather than a recreational diver is the best and safest way that you can be sure the work is being done correctly and professionally. Professional, commercial diving companies have extensive equipment specifically designed for underwater projects. Recreational divers may not have the appropriate equipment because of the cost, which is why recreational divers can be hired for a fraction of the expense of a legitimate commercial diving company.
Each and every person on the dive team is responsible to see to the safety of the other members of the team for the duration of the dive. Important safety precautions and planning will always be completed when using a well-staffed and equipped commercial diving company, and by hiring a professional diving company, you can rest assured that the project will be done correctly, safely, and professionally.
At Midco Diving & Marine Services, we are here to help you with all of your commercial diving and marine related needs. From underwater repair and construction projects to potable water services, our team of professional, certified, and qualified divers have the experience needed to get the job done. Please give us call to discuss your upcoming project at 1-800-479-1558.
