Diving Equipment Systems Inspection Guidance Note (DESIGN) for surface orientated (air) diving systems

Summary

In the early 1980s, in order to give some guidance to the offshore industry, IMCA’s predecessor the Association of Offshore Diving Contractors (AODC) started to produce a number of reference documents, standards and guidance notes. This process continued through the 1980s. It was clear, however, that there was still considerable confusion with some diving systems being “audited” several times a year by different clients, each of whose representatives had slightly different interpretations as to what was required.

AODC published document reference AODC 052 – Diving Equipment Systems Inspection Guidance Note (DESIGN) – in February 1989 that sought to clarify any interpretations necessary and to identify a common standard that could be applied by all parties during an inspection. It was intended for use offshore in the UK sector of the North Sea but in the absence of other guidance it became a standard reference in many parts of the world, particularly where there were no specific national regulations.

Subsequently AODC expanded and revised the document which was re-issued as Rev. 1 in February 1995. This more comprehensive document covered both air and saturation diving systems. It was still based on the requirements of the UK sector of the North Sea but was adopted by many clients and diving contractors world-wide. Some users, however, found it to be complex and difficult to use.

With the increasingly international nature of the offshore diving industry, IMCA revised AODC 052 Rev. 1 in order to simplify it, clarify any anomalies which had shown up and adapt it for international use, rather than restrict it to North Sea use. It was also decided to split it into separate documents, one for surface diving (IMCA D023 DESIGN for surface orientated (air) diving systems, published 2000) and the other for saturation diving (IMCA D024 DESIGN for saturation (bell) diving systems, published 2001).

Subsequently, documents were issued in 2006 for surface supplied mixed gas diving (IMCA D037 DESIGN for surface supplied mixed gas diving systems) and mobile/portable surface supplied diving (IMCA D040 DESIGN for mobile/portable surface supplied systems). In 2014 a further DESIGN document for hyperbaric rescue facilities (IMCA D053 DESIGN for the hyperbaric reception facility (HRF) forming part of a hyperbaric evacuation system (HES)) was published. During a revision of IMCA D024 in 2021, it was recognised that life support packages are likely to be in a different physical location to the rest of the equipment covered by IMCA D024. Section 16 of IMCA D024 was therefore split away from its parent document to provide a new separate document IMCA D063 DESIGN for Hyperbaric Rescue Unit (HRU) Life Support Packages (LSP).

IMCA DESIGN documents are periodically updated to clarify any anomalies and bring the guidance into alignment with the latest industry good practice.

Contents

Part 1 – Guidance

• Introduction
• List of Acronyms
• The Competent Person
• Responsibilities
• Planned Maintenance Systems (PMS)
• Key Features of this Document
• Completing the Document
• References

Part 2 – Detail Sheets

• Record of Inspections
• General Safety
• Dive Control
• Twinlock Air Chamber
• Diver Launch and Recovery System (LARS)
• Diving Basket
• Wet Bell
• Wet Bell Main Umbilical
• Diver Heating System
• Divers’ Umbilicals
• Divers’ Personal Equipment
• Compressors, Pumps, etc.
• High Pressure Air and Gas Storage

Version History

October 2024, Rev. 2.3 – Items added to Part 2 Sections 11 (5.10) and 12 (4.3)

July 2024, Rev. 2.2 – Lifting terminology updated per IMCA Information Note nr. 1665

January 2024, Rev. 2.1 – Corrections to Part 2 (Details Sheets)
(Section 5, item 1.17: 1.5 times changed to 1.25 times
Section 6, item 1.15: 1.5 times changed to 1.25 times)

August 2022, Rev. 2 – Updated to clarify any anomalies and bring the guidance into alignment with current industry good practice

January 2014, Rev. 1 – Updated to incorporate equipment improvements and changed operating practices since first publication

February 2000 – Initial publication