Dive technician competence and training published by IMCA

Published on 31 May 2013

Competent and well trained technicians are vital for safe offshore diving operations. Equipment used to support and conduct diving operations requires technicians for its installation, maintenance, inspection, testing and repair. The correct functioning of the equipment is essential to the well-being of the divers and other members of the dive team. Contractors who use the services of dive technicians have an obligation to ensure that personnel are correctly trained and have the required level of competence for the equipment, and in the operations they are conducting.

With this in mind, the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has published ‘Dive Technician Competence and Training’ IMCA D 001 Rev. 2.

“The level of training required and the level of competence for an individual will depend upon the complexity and range of equipment he/she is to work on,” explains Jane Bugler, IMCA’s Technical Director.”It should be recognised that some recent innovations in dive systems’ design and their components may require expertise in areas that would not have been necessary in the past (such as the increasing use of programmable logic controllers (PLCs)). It is clear therefore that the contractor (or party responsible for the diving plant and equipment) needs to define the training and competence requirements for the dive technicians.

“New entrants to the industry should be treated as trainees until deemed competent to work unsupervised. In IMCA D 001 Rev.2 we provide a list of the subjects in which trainees should normally hold a formal qualification. Once a trainee has gained adequate experience and training and has demonstrated competence in the relevant equipment and operations, the employer may promote the individual to ‘dive technician’ level. Such promotion implies that the employer has assessed the individual and has deemed him/her competent to work unsupervised.”

IMCA D 001 Rev. 2 is available for free downloading from the IMCA website at legacy.imca-int.com by members and non-members alike; and printed copies can be purchased by members at £5.00 and by non-members at £10.00 (zero VAT, plus 20% for delivery outside Europe) from publications@legacy.imca-int.com.