Distinguish pressure from the working environment
Work in compressed air does not have the same hazards as an underwater repair, although both may involve hyperbaric exposure. Pressure changes and, where relevant, drowning, entrapment, currents, visibility and contact with installations must be identified.
HSE documentation on compressed air shows the need to address construction work and pressurised spaces as well. It is a British reference, not a Spanish regulation.
Check the regime and competence requirements
In Spain, Royal Decree 550/2020 regulates diving safety conditions and distinguishes types of diving. Its maritime safety framework must be supplemented by occupational requirements and the responsibilities of other relevant authorities.
Before contracting, verify which credentials, training and organisation the specific activity requires. A recreational qualification alone does not establish the legal and technical capability to perform professional work.
Plan the specific intervention
Planning must connect the task, location, environmental conditions, equipment and personnel. Access, simultaneous operations, communication methods and circumstances requiring work to be postponed or stopped are reviewed.
Pressure exposure and recovery procedures belong to specialists and applicable protocols. They cannot be improvised from a general information article, an isolated table or experience of another apparently similar intervention.
Coordinate the company, facility and team
The facility operator and specialist company must exchange information about machinery, vessel movements, traffic and other energy sources or activities that may affect the work. Responsibilities and authority to stop it must be clear.
The Occupational Risk Prevention Law requires coordination of activities and organisation of prevention. Subcontracting the intervention does not remove each company’s own duties.
Prepare assistance before starting
An emergency response must be compatible with the location, activity and possible pressure effects. It includes prepared people, communication, extraction or rescue and specialist medical assistance according to the assessment and applicable regulations.
An emergency telephone number is not enough. Accessibility, actual availability and coordination of planned resources must be checked, rather than relying on resources that exist only on paper.
Fitness, records and review
Medical assessment must match the professional activity’s requirements and identified risks. Clinical information is confidential; fitness conclusions are communicated through the prescribed channels. Medical assessment does not replace technical competence or the suitability of equipment and procedures.
Planning, checks and incidents are documented. An environmental change, breakdown or communication difficulty requires the decision to continue to be reviewed, even if the work was previously authorised.
Hypothetical example: inspecting a port installation
A company needs to inspect a submerged structure. Before intervening, it considers remote inspection and, if diving is required, contracts an appropriate professional team.
The person responsible coordinates the activity with port operations, verifies the plan and confirms emergency resources. An unexpected environmental change requires reassessment of the intervention.
