HC Deb 22 January 1998 vol 304 cc608-10W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the assessed(a) short and (b) long term health risks to professional divers; and if he will make a statement. [23813]

Angela Eagle

The assessed short-term health risks to professional divers include:

  1. 1. decompression illness ("bends");
  2. 2. barotrauma;
  3. 3. cerebral arterial gas embolism;
  4. 4. inert gas narcosis;
  5. 5. oxygen toxicity;
  6. 6. hypoxia (lack of oxygen);
  7. 7. carbon dioxide toxicity;
  8. 8. toxicity from other gases, for example carbon monoxide contamination;
  9. 9. hyperthemeia and hypothermia;
  10. 10. high pressure neurological syndrome in deep diving;
  11. 11. infections;
  12. 12. transient decreases in haemoglobin levels and lung function during the period of saturation dives.

The longer-term health effects of professional diving are becoming better appreciated as medical knowledge has increased. These longer-term health effects include:

  1. 1. dysbaric osteonecrosis;
  2. 2. decrease in lung function;
  3. 3. changes in neurophysiological function;
  4. 4. changes in psychological function;
  5. 5. changes in retinal function;
  6. 6. changes in audiological function.

The Health and Safety Executive is currently commissioning further research to investigate the potential long-term health effects associated with working in hyperbaric environments.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the number of United Kingdom nationals who have registered as professional divers broken down by category for each year since 1979. [23817]

Angela Eagle

All divers at work who dive in UK waters are required to hold a diving certificate issued by the Health and Safety Executive under the Diving Operations at Work Regulations 1981. The following information shows the numbers of UK nationals who have been awarded HSE diving certificates since 1981. Divers working in the UK before the Regulations came into force were exempted from this requirement and consequently do not appear in the table.

Type of Diving Certificate awarded
Year Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Total
1982 341.00 162.00 181.00 220.00 904.00
1983 332.00 153.00 129.00 101.00 715.00
1984 357.00 143.00 162.00 118.00 780.00
1985 443.00 148.00 157.00 113.00 861.00
1986 298.00 94.00 118.00 116.00 626.00
1987 103.00 98.00 110.00 133.00 444.00
1988 110.00 118.00 150.00 168.00 546.00
1989 162.00 147.00 167.00 165.00 641.00
1990 214.00 120.00 226.00 156.00 716.00
Type of Diving Certificate awarded
Year Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Total
1991 272.00 98.00 277.00 427.00 1,074.00
1992 212.00 56.00 241.00 338.00 847.00
1993 224.00 73.00 277.00 409.00 983.00
1994 294.00 46.00 306.00 391.00 1,037.00
1995 187.00 36.00 274.00 407.00 904.00
1996 158.00 13.00 144.00 272.00 587.00
1997 179.00 24.00 130.00 162.00 495.00

Notes

1. HSE currently has four different diving competence standards, called Parts.

Part 1 Basic Air Diving

Part 2 Mixed Gas Diving

Part 3 Air Diving Where No Surface Compression Chamber is Required On Site.

Part 4 Air Diving With Self Contained Equipment Where No Surface Compression Chamber Is required on site.

2. Under the Parts there are nine variations of the diver training certificates.

HSE Part 1 basic air — Unrestricted
HSE Part 2 mixed — Unrestricted
gas/bell
— Restricted to bell diving in air range
HSE Part 3 onshore air — Unrestricted
— Restricted to diving in the Police Force
— Restricted to diving in tanks
— Unrestricted
HSE Part 4 SCUBA — Unrestricted
— Restricted to diving in tanks
— Restricted to instruction of recreational divers (discontinued in June 1996)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions who is responsible for the hyperbaric medical monitoring of professional divers once they have left the profession. [23816]

Angela Eagle

There is no statutory requirement for the hyperbaric medical examination of professional divers once they have left the profession.

However, the Health and Safety Executive is currently commissioning further research into the potential long-term health effects associated with working in hyperbaric environments. The subject group will include former commercial divers.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much money offshore operators have contributed to hyperbaric medical research since 1979. [23814]

Angela Eagle

The total cost of hyperbaric medical research projects carried out by the Offshore Safety Division of the Health and Safety Executive (and the then Department of Energy) since 1979 is £6.2 million. The offshore industry's contribution is estimated as £1.4 million (approximately 20 per cent. of the total cost).

Back to
Forward to