Two scenarios that should not be confused
NOM-014-STPS-2000, listed as current in the official catalogue, addresses diving activities and exposure to low ambient pressure in Mexico. It is not a pressure vessel standard: the concern here is environmental pressure affecting people during their work.
Application requires knowledge of natural conditions, the task, pressure, duration and available controls. The hyperbaric and underwater work entry introduces the general hazard; the standard requires a specific operation to be organised through written analysis and measures consistent with its risks.
Low pressure and travel to altitude
The low-pressure section contains particular pressure, altitude and travel conditions. It should not be reduced to an identical duty for every person working in mountains. First determine whether the circumstances fall within the regulatory scenario.
Medical assessment informs fitness, working time and acclimatisation according to anticipated conditions. The organisation needs first-aid arrangements and available emergency transport. These decisions cannot be replaced by a copied acclimatisation schedule that ignores a worker’s origin, health or the physical demands of the task.
Diving as a professional operation
The standard distinguishes diving techniques and requires work and diving plans, safety and emergency procedures, equipment checks and operational records. Preparation considers currents, visibility, temperature, contamination and simultaneous activities, among other factors.
For example, an underwater inspection close to lifting operations requires coordination between teams. An experienced diver does not, by experience alone, control a load being moved from the surface or ensure that everyone shares the same operational plan and communication arrangements.
Response resources must actually be available
The plan identifies emergency resources and nearby available hyperbaric chambers. The standard requires periodic verification of this information; a historic list supplied as guidance does not establish present availability. Supervision, communications and supporting personnel’s roles must also be clear.
Specialist training, medical examinations and records complete the control arrangements. This entry does not reproduce decompression tables or prescribe dive durations, breathing mixtures or treatment. These are critical decisions requiring professionals, complete procedures and resources appropriate to the operation, rather than isolated figures taken from a short explanatory summary.
