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Citation |
Cummings B. Diving Hyperb. Med. 2012; 42(4): 234-236. |
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Affiliation |
Diving Incidents Advisor. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2012, South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society and European Underwater and Baromedical Society) |
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DOI |
unavailable |
PMID |
23258461 |
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Abstract |
OF 2011 REPORT PREPARED BY COLIN WILSON. The BSAC have collected and collated accounts of diving incidents from their members for over 30 years, with published reports being available on their website from 1980. Over the years, the quality of these has matured as they have striven for accuracy and completeness. This has allowed the club to identify common failings and learn lessons. They have directed their training towards these identified areas to improve safety. Changes in diving practice over the years have in some instances created new and different issues and problems. This report covers incidents in the United Kingdom (UK) with a small section on overseas reports from their members only. Summaries of BSAC reports (2005 to 2010) have been presented previously in this journal with the sources of data and their methods of collection discussed. In this report, there were 375 UK incidents which is in line with the average for the last few years. There were 103 reports of decompression illness (DCI). Although one of the biggest categories, this continues a downward trend over the last eight years. However, reports in the additional category of 'diver injury/illness' were up by 29 from 2010 to 84 and no doubt included a number of cases of DCI but, because of their source, these have not been specified. Training has recently been directed towards buoyancy control, the effectiveness of which is seen with the lowest number of reports for some time of only 48. The monthly variation mirrors the increased activity in the northern hemisphere summer. In relation to depth, there are fewer incidents, six, occurring deeper than 50 metres' sea water (msw), though there were two deaths in this range. The Coastguard were involved in 205 (55%) of incidents, fewer than in previous years, but the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) services were called upon on more occasions (118 incidents), assisting disabled boats, searching for missing divers and recovering divers with unspecified illnesses and DCI. Incidents involving the use of helicopters for searching for missing divers and transporting those with DCI were fewer this year at 96. Language: en |