Nova Scotia Offshore Area Petroleum Diving Regulations (SOR/95-189)

59. (1) The Chief Safety Officer may insert in a diving certificate issued pursuant to section 54, 56, 58 or 71, or attach to a document referred to in paragraph 53(d), 55(1)(b) or 57(1)(b), restrictions on diving by the holder of the certificate or document where the Chief Safety Officer considers those restrictions necessary for safety reasons.

(2) Where the Chief Safety Officer inserts a restriction in a certificate or attaches a restriction to a document pursuant to subsection (1), the Chief Safety Officer shall give the holder of the certificate or document an opportunity to show cause why that restriction should not be inserted or attached.

60. (1) A diving doctor who examines a diver for the purposes of paragraph 53(b) or section 71 may insert in the diver’s medical certificate medical restrictions on diving by the holder of the medical certificate, where the diving doctor considers those restrictions necessary for safety reasons.

(2) Where a diving doctor inserts medical restrictions in a diver’s medical certificate pursuant to subsection (1) or certifies in a medical certificate in a diver’s logbook that the diver is medically unfit to dive, the Chief Safety Officer shall, on application by the diver within one month after the insertion or certification by the diving doctor, review the certificate and the diver’s medical examination record related to that certificate with one or more specialized diving doctors.

(3) Where, as a result of a review conducted by the Chief Safety Officer pursuant to subsection (2), the Chief Safety Officer is satisfied that a restriction inserted in a diver’s medical certificate should be modified or removed, the Chief Safety Officer shall amend the certificate accordingly.

61. (1) The Chief Safety Officer may invalidate a diving certificate issued pursuant to section 54, 56, 58 or 71 where, in the opinion of the Chief Safety Officer, the holder of the certificate has become incompetent or incapacitated.

(2) Where the Chief Safety Officer proposes to invalidate a diving certificate pursuant to subsection (1), the Chief Safety Officer shall give the holder of the certificate at least 30 days notice in writing setting out the reasons for the proposed invalidation and shall give the holder an opportunity to show cause why the certificate should not be invalidated.

62. (1) Subject to subsection (2), no diver shall make a dive in a diving operation unless

• (a) prior to the dive, the diver has

  • (i) checked the diver’s personal diving equipment and is satisfied that the equipment is in good working order, and

  • (ii) reported to the supervisor of the diving operation any remedies, treatments, pharmaceuticals, intoxicants or drugs taken by the diver within the 48 hours preceding the dive, any injury or illness experienced by that diver since the diver’s most recent dive and any restrictions imposed pursuant to section 60 by a diving doctor as a result of the diving doctor’s examination of that diver after an injury or illness;

• (b) in the case of a diver who has experienced an injury or illness other than decompression sickness since the diver’s most recent dive, the diver has received approval for further diving from a diving doctor or a hyperbaric first-aid technician who consulted with a diving doctor concerning the injury or illness;

• (c) in the case of a diver who has experienced decompression sickness type I, at least two days have elapsed since the diver successfully completed recompression therapy;

• (d) in the case of a diver who has experienced decompression sickness type II, at least five days have elapsed since the diver successfully completed recompression therapy and the diver has received approval for further diving from a diving doctor; and

• (e) in the case of a diver who has experienced decompression sickness type I in two consecutive dives, the diver has received approval for further diving from a diving doctor.

(2) No diver shall make a saturation dive unless

• (a) in the case of a diver whose most recent dive was a saturation dive of 14 days’ duration or less, at least 14 days have elapsed since the diver completed decompression; and

• (b) in the case of a diver whose most recent dive was a saturation dive of more than 14 days’ duration, at least 28 days have elapsed since the diver completed decompression.

(3) Where a diver who is employed in a diving operation believes the diver is unfit or unable to dive at any time during that employment, the diver shall so inform the supervisor of the diving operation and shall give the reason for that belief.

(4) Where a diver becomes aware of any oil or other contaminant in waters in which a diving operation is being conducted, the diver shall forthwith inform the supervisor of the diving operation of the contaminant.