Back to the future: occupational diver training in Australia

The Australian Diver Accreditation Scheme (ADAS) had its genesis in the 1990s in response to a need to produce occupational divers who were trained to international standards with the necessary skills to safely undertake complex work in high-risk environments. Well-trained dive teams who are 'fit-for-purpose' can be regarded as the highest level of risk control in preventing accidents and workplace morbidity. Without such training, work site risks are not detected, with potentially disastrous consequences. In September 2017, the only civilian ADAS level 3 and 4 training facility in Australia, The Underwater Centre Tasmania (TUCT), closed its doors. The reasons for TUCT closure were multifactorial. However, the loss of higher level training capability in this country and its benefits to industry will have a future adverse impact. As industry pushes for more complex diving to improve productivity, Australian occupational diver training processes are becoming 'streamlined' and are losing parity with international benchmarks. This is a potentially fatal combination.