IMCA International Code of Practice for Offshore Diving – Middle East Appendix

When the IMCA international code of practice for offshore diving (IMCA D 014) was originally published, it was indicated that IMCA would prepare appendices for countries or regions with their own specific regulations or requirements.  A Middle East appendix, issued as IMCA D 08/00, was developed which set out the additional requirements, supplementary to those contained in the IMCA code.

Since the IMCA code has now been updated and re-issued as IMCA D 014 Rev. 1, October 2007, we have reviewed the information note and updated it to reference the appropriate sections in the new code.  This revised note is attached.

A copy of the appendix for the Middle East is set out below.

IMCA International Code: Section 4.8.2 – Emergency Recovery

Paragraph 3 states that “The bell will need to be capable of sustaining life for at least 24 hours” and cites IMCA AODC 026 – Diver emergency heating report (1984).

There is no requirement for equipment compliant with AODC 026 to be carried in the Middle East region.

IMCA International Code:  Section 6.1 – Medical Equipment

The first paragraph of the code cites DMAC 15 Rev. 1 – Medical equipment to be held at the site of an offshore diving operation – as a source of guidance on medical equipment to be held at a dive site to provide first-aid and medical treatment for the dive team.

The document lists a number of drugs to be held at the dive site.  However it is recognised that drugs held at dive site have to comply with the rules of the country of operation.  The DMAC guidance should be read in light of the following paragraph:

Drugs to be held on site have to comply with the rules of the country of operation which may restrict the use of certain drugs such as Valium and ban others such as Morphine, Pethidine (and their derivatives) and Adrenaline.  Locally practising doctors in the past tried to have these rules relaxed without significant success.  It should therefore be assumed that the above mentioned drugs will not be available on site and if certain drugs are banned by the country’s medical authorities, alternatives approved by those authorities should be substituted.

DMAC recognises the problem with availability of drugs and has agreed this wording.

Originally issued with the following reference(s): IMCA D 13/7