‘Don’t dive in closed cages’ fish farm workers warned

The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority has issued the advice following a fatal accident last summer in which a young diver died while working in a closed cage.

 

It has also said that when such a situation is unavoidable, enough staff must be available to act in the event of an emergency.

 

It adds that the crew must also be proportionate to the tasks to be performed and the dangers to which the diver may be exposed. This means that the crew must be able to handle emergency situations that may arise.

 

The authority’s section manager Rosmari Johnsen said: “We at the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority find that many people choose the absolute minimum requirement, without considering what is actually a reasonable staffing level. It is only in very simple diving operations that a minimum staffing of four people is sufficient.”

 

The advice from the authority is also intended to be relevant to fish farm diving operations in other countries.

 

A review of diving accidents by the Labour Inspection Authority has found that inadequate risk assessments and insufficient pre-operation planning were common factors in incidents.

 

The agency also found that that diving teams have, on some occasions, lacked either sufficient personnel or necessary qualifications to carry out the work.

 

“We urge both diving companies and their clients to take their responsibility for workplace safety seriously,” Johnsen said, adding that improving collaboration on risk management is key to ensuring a safe working environment.