 |
I
do believe there are more then one good way to do things. |
|
The Roat Deal Every so often, just about as often as a new issue of Offshore Diver Magazine comes out, John Roat writes a new column. As each is published in the magazine, the last one migrates to these pages online. His most recent column is the one currently featured in the magazine. Feel free to email him with your questions, comments, or accusations. This guy's the real deal and he definitely has his very own groove. .
|
|
|
I
do believe there are more then one good way to do things. |
|
What’s Coming?
One thing for sure, change, if we want that change to be for the good we need to put some personal effort into it. This article is not intended to goad those that have been working hard for years within the system to get us to this point, but those like me who have stood on the outside and said screw the ADC.
In the past, to my way of thinking, both IMCA and the ADC had made themselves irrelevant to safe commercial diving operations. IMCA is still in that mode, charging big dollars for nothing more then suggestions and many (not all) of those are uninformed and at worst, bad suggestions. On the other hand the ADC is making strong efforts with an eye to regulation and asking for our participation. So let’s do everything we can as Tenders, Divers, Supervisors and Superintendents to upgrade the Association of Diving Contractors Consensus Standards. As far as they go, the Consensus Standards are not bad and what regulations we do have are based on them.
IMCA’s answer to most safety questions is to limit, which can be a good strategy. Let me point out just one that is not good for the divers or the oil companies. All Surface Gas Dives are limited to thirty minute bottom times from 150 ft to 240 ft. Oh yeah, and no Gas Diving past 240 feet. Doesn’t matter what tables you are using. Why didn’t they just come out and say NO Surface Gas Diving? It is my firm belief that IMCA is all about renting very expensive diver-less equipment to the oil companies. Anything they can do to limit diving makes those they really represent more money. Ask yourself this question, why are their no major dive companies in the North Sea that employ Divers as full time employees? They do employ a lot of ROV Techs and such. Those dive companies, as well as the oil companies, made a bad decision. They let IMCA convince them that technology would make divers a thing of the past. Not in my lifetime, or the lifetime of the twenty year old tender you just hired. Most diving in the GOM is done in black water, surface diving.
The bell has two guide wires to keep it from spinning. A continuous wire is used with one end fixed to the bell lifting frame. From its fixed end the wire runs through two pulleys on the guide weight and back to a third pulley on the lifting frame. The wire then continues on to a man-rated tugger. If the main lift tugger or main lift wire is lost you can retrieve the diver and the bell with the guide weight. The Guide weight and wires will keep your bell from spinning and wrapping the dive umbilical, as well as blowing off location in a little current.
As both a diver and a Supervisor, I can think of nothing better to have when the world turns to Ka Ka, then a close by Open Bottom Bell with on board gas and two ways to pick it up. This is one of the things I think we should all get behind. I am sure most of the oil companies won’t like it because it would require larger vessels to support the bell handling system. Well they have been stuffing too big a job on too small a boat for years and it is time they are made to understand that space is a safety issue!
Let’s also insist that the ADCI set high training standards for things like Dive Supervisor Air, Surface Gas and Saturation, Saturation Technician Training, LSTs, Diver Medics, and Oxy-Arc Underwater Burning. If they are going to let someone outside the ADCI give the training, they must monitor and certify the trainers. It is my personal opinion that the ADCI should do the Training, not just license it as IMCA does. |
---------------------------------------------------------
|
I will do my best to answer any response to the things I say. That is,
if you put your name and e-mail address with it. If there is no name
and e-mail address, I won’t post your e-mail and I won’t respond.
If you just want to let everyone know how you fell about what I say,
without putting your name on it, post it on the discussion board. John Carl Roat Diver/Supervisor/Superintendent Dive Safe: It is Profitable and Hurts Less
click here to email Roat
4/22/2007 - Email from H Lomax: Man, I couldn’t agree more on the wet bell issue. Every diver, supervisor, and contractor should push as hard as they can for wet bell regulations. I think that this is an idea that is long past due, and will make this job a lot better. The Gulf Coast Chapter deserves credit for pushing this one. -HL
6/20/07 - Email from R Mayield:
John never were truer words spoken. "Space is a safety
issue" too many times in my 40 years in the GOM has safety
been slighted because of the lack of deck space for the required
equipment. But it is getting better with some of the majors now that the
vessels are becoming more available, but when storms come all is pushed
aside due to availability. This is when safety should really be given a
closer look. -RM 7/22/07 - Email from R Spillars: John: I have read and agree with your article in Offshore Diver ("Roat Deal") whole heartedly. it's almost unbelievable that this bell requirement is not mandated and in place already. even in the past as early as the 1960's we used beefed up stages with onboard air or gas to accommodate these safety considerations. Obviously an open bottom bell as outlined in your article is a much better way to address this kind of operation. I would have thought that some years ago,when Rod Cruse attempted to replace the stages with his (first manufactured) open bottom bells that this type of open bottom bell would have become a standard for surface deep air and shallow gas diving operations industry wide by now. John< you are a welcome voice of experience as well as devoted tradesman in your line of work. It's really exciting to see a man with your background and integrity going to bat for the safety of the working diver. You are to be congratulated, It's no wonder that you are respected. - RS
|
John has also authored a book on his experiences in SEAL training.
Click on the cover image to read
reviews and order the book.
|
From the Diver's Forum: |
Real Deal SEAL Team website: <http://sealstrike.com
John's
previous columns are archived here:
Roat 1 Roat 2
Roat 3 Roat 4
Roat 5 Roat 6
One
of the best suggestions that the ADC Gulf Coast Chapter is pushing has
to do with Open bottom Bells. To keep it simple: They would be used on
all surface gas dives and would be required on air dives after 120 ft.
The Bell would be required to have a secondary recovery system.