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I
do believe there are more then one good way to do things. |
I AM Anti-IMCA. Why?
by
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IMCA was formed in 1995 by amalgamation of The
International Association of Underwater Engineering Contractors and the Dynamic
Positioning Owners Association. |
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Everything written by IMCA for any member company is nothing more then a suggestion. No member company will be even criticized for not following their suggestions. |
Over a year and half ago I made a good faith proposal to the two organizations that purport to have the safety of commercial divers at heart. The Association of Diving Contractors International (our ADCI) and The International Marine Contractors Association or IMCA:
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To: ADC and IMCA
From: John Carl Roat
Subject: Scientific Testing Oxy-Arc Burning Process
Gentlemen; After reading Andrew Pettitt’s report on Swordfish O2 less burning rod, for Shell Oil UK, I was struck by the fact most of what we know about Oxy Arc Underwater Cutting is based on supposition, not scientific fact. I am proposing the ADC and IMCA jointly fund testing so that effective standards can be written.
1) Reasoning for test
A) The basic
technology was developed in the 1930’s without the benefit of today’s
scientific testing capabilities. Although a vast amount of experience [trial
and error] has been gained much of it is based on theory & assumptions,
some of which are wrong [see Mr. Andrew Pettitt’s
recent findings on the effects of underwater explosions]. These findings have
changed our understanding of explosive effects underwater.
B) The
offshore oil industry, world wide, is placing more focus, and
dedicating more resources to the plugging / abandoning of
depleted wells; and the removal of associated production platforms. With the
amount of injury and death over the last 30 years involving Commercial Divers and
Oxy-Arc Underwater Cutting many of the major oil companies are reluctant to
allow the use of this still viable tool.
C) It is my
firm belief once appropriate / rigorous scientific testing, utilizing modern
technology is accomplished; we can write a standard allowing the SAFE and
effective use of this valuable tool.
2) Suggested areas for testing;
A) Present of Oxygen required for Oxy-Arc Burning process at
different depths.
· Pressure and volume of Oxygen required at different depths.
B) Optimum Amperage Settings for effective Cutting.
· Amperage losses due to size of cable, length of leads and
water temperature.
· Amount of Hydrogen created at different Amperage settings
C) Thicknesses
of steel able to be effectively cut with Tubular Steel (flux and non-flux
coated) and Exothermic type rods
D) Amounts of
explosive gases created: by each type rod, per inch burned, in the Oxy-Arc
Burning process.
E) Failure potential of
Burning Torches: Flash Arrestors; flow valves; insulator hoses.
F) Welding Machines
performance: comparison of DC Generators and AC/DC Converters.
· AC/DC Converters tested for AC Amperage leakage.
G) Explosive
potential of Knife Switches.
The testing team would be headed up by Andrew Pettitt. The proposed test would be run at the National
Hyperbaric Centre in I believe it would be in the best interest of the industry if these tests where funded by both the ADC and IMCA. The findings will be the basis for a joint committee to write definitive standards for Underwater Oxy Arc Cutting.
Sincerely
John Carl Roat |
| To this date IMCA has made no response. The
ADCI has shown interest, Shell Oil |
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IMCA Diving Division Guidance Note No: IMCA D 003
Oxy Arc Cutting Operations Underwater.
5.2 "Blow Backs" |
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The problem is that at best it is factually incorrect and at worst a purposeful miss-representation. For my fellow divers that would be a F-ing LIE. A Blow Back is not a spontaneous explosion! It is caused by lack of full penetration of the metal you are burning or there is something behind what you are attempting to burn (cement, mud, etc). In many cases it indicates you have left a hanger; unburned steel. It is nothing more then molten metal flowing out the wrong side of the steel you are cutting. I pointed this out to IMCA As a Diver, Supervisor and Superintendent I want the best, safest, and most effective tool at my disposal to get the job done. At times I believe Oxy Arc Cutting is the Safest most Effective way to cut steel underwater. I suggest that the member companies in the ADCI in conjunction with burning rod manufactures and the Oil Companies fund the testing and do it rapidly before we have another fatality. Here is one for the Corporate Safety Officers with the major Oil Companies: If IMCA is basing there suggestions on other then Scientific Fact, I would think twice about endorsing them by being a members. Maybe it’s time you guys did more then talk out of both sides of your neck and set a STANDARD and live to it, not an F-ing suggestion that you throw out the window as needed. |
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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
Response:
I may not be qualified to express
any opinion about these two organizations since I hold no cards from
either one. I do not think either is a good organization.
I started diving early in life shortly
after my mom bought a mask, fin, and snorkel set for me when I was 4 in
1959. I lived in north Texas town of Wichita Falls. It was usually
muddy lakes or muddier stock tanks I snorkeled in. 0 vis. If I was
lucky it was a swimming pool. At 16 I took SCUBA lessions instead of
buying a class ring at high school. After graduation I joined the navy
to go to diving school. Career counselor conned me into being
submarine sonar tech on nuc fast attack boat. After navy in 81 I
graduated CDC now Collage of Oceaneering. Worked for Louis Schaefer
until he shut down and worked for Seaway on Seaway Eagle as sat tech for
a while. Been diving since for many small and mediun size companies.
I never got ADCI card due to fact that
I thought I would never need it and the fact that it was contractors
organization and didn't want to pay money to support them. I always
felt that my skills, work experience, resume, references, and school
certs should be all I needed to stay employed. It has worked so far. I
am now 53. I still do gas dives when they come up and air dives when I
don't have to supervise and babysit. After reading all the complaints on
all the websites about IMCA, ADCI, and unions I now realize that what we
need is a divers organization. Not a union. They are crooked as a
Vegas casino. But a organization of divers for divers. American
Commercial Divers Association -- ACDA or International Commercial
Divers Association -- ICDA. Something like that that will take
realistic rules to OSHA, Coast Guard, ADCI and IMCA to deal with. Make
it a non-profit organization that will work for the best interest of all
working divers and dive support personnell.
Thank you for all your efforts to
make this job safer. Martin Morris -- HeavyMetalDivers
John:
You raise some very good points in your article about IMCA's
shortcomings. I agree with most of them. The problem I have is that ADCI
is no better and in fact currently it is significantly worse. IMCA has
no authority in US waters, but in UK waters and surrounding areas like
the lowlands, France and especially Norway, it actually has the rule of
law behind it. The reason for this is the HSE, or Health and Safety
Executive. This is the safety regulatory body for offshore work in the
UK and Norway. IMCA guidelines (you're right, they are only guidelines)
are the basis for the HSE regulations. No company can work those waters
without following HSE regulations and since they are based on IMCA
guidelines they carry the weight of law there. A safety infraction that
results in injury or death is punishable by criminal arrest, prosecution
and a jail term. You can also lose your IMCA certification, making it
virtually impossible to work those waters. I honestly don't know if the
Asia diving areas carry those same strict interpretations or not, but
even they give at least cursory allegiance. I can't think of one thing
that will befall a US diving contractor if they operate in violation of
ADCI guidelines. Until that changes, what's the point of having ADCI?
Also, IMCA got powerful by bypassing the diving companies and going to
the energy companies themselves, and their insurers. By showing that
they had a system of rules in place to operated 'safe diving practices',
they convinced the insurers and energy companies to get on
board. Recently there was an incident in UK waters involving a
diving safety issue there, and it was the company rep that called HSE
and IMCA. He did it so the energy company wouldn't be fined. This shows
that IMCA has real power that ADCI doesn't.
I am an IMCA certified and ADCI certified Bell diving supervisor. My
ADCI cert was set to expire next year so I took the exam several days
ago. I must say, the IMCA exam was more difficult and made you work
harder. The ADCI tutorial actually had some mistakes in it. That is not
a good thing for a certification society. I've contacted our company
ADCI rep and I'm sending the items I found to the ADCI trainer by the
way.
I don't say any of these things because I think IMCA is better than
ADCI. I don't. I think both of them are a poor substitute for what
should be a diver generated set of safety rules. I never heard who
exactly drafted the DO 14, 18, 23 or 24, for IMCA but I'm betting it
wasn't a majority of divers. I don't know who drafted the ADCI guidance
notes either but again I doubt it was a majority of divers. Also, when
was the last time you saw an ADCI consensus standards book on any dive
job? I work for one of the largest diving companies in GOM and I've
never seen one. IMCA has guidance notes out the wazoo. They've got them
for dive gear, engine driven machinery, calibration equipment,
communications, analyzation gear, and of course just about every facet
of diving.
I agree that they go too far in some areas and not far enough in
others. They are very leery of surface diving so they don't give it
enough coverage in my opinion. They believe saturation to be the best
way to do work in the water and that surface diving is neither safe nor
effective. We here in US waters know that surface diving is both
extremely safe and extremely effective when done properly. But all those
guidance notes are available to the IMCA based company. A new dive sup
in an IMCA based company can use his company password and log on to the
website and get information on any aspect of diving. Are there these
same guidance notes available to an ADCI member company? And when was
the last time you heard of ADCI auditing a diving vessel to make sure
they were in compliance? I've never heard of it, but last June we went
through our annual IMCA audit on my ship, which is based in GOM, not
overseas.
Again, my point here is not that IMCA is good and ADCI is bad, it is
that neither of these bodies are a good fit for overseeing safe diving.
In my opinion diving regs should be generated by divers themselves.
Diving companies have a built in desire to please the energy companies.
This creates a conflict of interest. I don't want to see IMCA come into
the Gulf and given the two options I would much rather see ADCI step up
and be the governing body, but only if they do more than give lip
service to diving safety and make the hard choices. For instance, they
tout the implementation of the 3 man minimum dive team as a significant
step forward. But in case of emergency that still leaves you a man
short. It should be a four man team. One diving sup or lead diver acting
as the diving sup, one diver. One diver tender and one tender. But this
will mean a larger charge to the client and increasing the employee
count to fill the manning level. A hard choice, but in my opinion a
necessary one. That's just one example.
Your burning investigation is another good point. Years ago as part
of the Divers Safety Association we sent out questionnaires about what
divers felt was the most dangerous dive to make and burning came up #1.
We asked them to list what the specific problems were and as we got the
forms back we tallied them up. We went to every major diving company and
asked if they would participate in a discussion of how to eliminate
these hazards and got 2 yes responses. None of them wanted to do it.
Did ADCI ever get back to you and have they developed anything in the
time since you contacted them?
In closing, I'd like to sum up my point here. Neither IMCA nor ADCI
has all the answers. IMCA is not a good fit for the Gulf, and they are
not a good oversight group for surface diving in any event, and they are
out of touch with the average working diver, but they have a working
system in place that has proven to be a safe and effective way to do
work in the water. ADCI up until recently was not a serious part of any
divers working day. It's trying to be the main regulatory body for US
waters. I support that effort whole heartedly but unless it acts out of
common sense safety for the diver as it's primary concern rather than
more pandering to energy companies wishes it's going to end up just
another pointless group wasting our time.
Your columns are always thought provoking. Keep it up. And thanks
for the opportunity to give my two cents.
Mike Chiconsky
First off you still owe me a signature on
my copy of "Class 29". I think your oxy-arc burning critique was pretty
much on the nail. More research should be done and the reigning powers
at IMCA and ADC should get involved. Too many kids are getting out there
will little to none burning experience and not understanding what is
really happening. I've (like lots of others) experienced the "blow back"
from all the venues you have mentioned, mud, hangers,cement, ect.. It
would be nice if we (divers) could help the industry make some
enforceable standards. I wish you the best and hope the ADC along with
IMCA work to adopt some purposeful standards together.
A Hartley
Thank you very much on the burning. I
worked many years with Global and the Research and development with
Whitey Grubbs.What you say is what we witnessed.
S
Terry
I can't say that I disagree with you concerning IMCA and the ADCI.. It
would seem that there is no magic bullet to fix it all. Neither the ADCI,
IMCA or the "Union organizers" will really protect us and the saddest
part I see is that most divers seem to not care either. They believe the
dive company will protect them and look out for their best interests. I
believe it is up to us (divers) to demand the safest work place possible.
Unfortunately, some companies will run you off or starve you out
rather than admit their practices aren't safe. This has been my
experience since coming into the GOM. R Tivey
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John has also authored a book on his experiences in SEAL training.
Click on the cover image to read
reviews and order the book.
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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
Roat 7
Roat 8
Roat 9
Roat 10 Roat 11
Roat 12
Roat 13
Roat 14