Self-employed diver sentenced for falsifying diving medical certificate
- Safety Flash
- Published on 12 December 2017
- Generated on 26 August 2025
- IMCA SF 30/17
- 2 minute read
A man has been sentenced after supplying falsified diving medical certificates to a diving company in 2016.
What happened?
A Magistrates’ Court heard that the man did not hold a valid medical certificate of fitness to dive.
What went wrong?
Investigation showed that in 2016 the defendant was in possession of a certificate closely resembling a genuine certificate but which had been altered to display a false expiry date. The defendant subsequently produced the falsified certificate to enter into a contract to provide his services as a commercial diver.
The defendant pleaded guilty to six breaches of Regulation 12 (1)(b) of the UK Diving at Work Regulations 1997 and one breach of Section 33 (1)(m) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
He was sentenced to 32 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months, 150 hours community service and ordered to pay costs of £12,000.
The HSE inspector commented that the UK HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against persons in possession of or using a falsified fitness to dive certificate.
Actions
- Contractors are reminded that it is their responsibility to check the validity of their diver’s medical certificates of fitness to dive, especially, when the doctor and diver are unknown to them.
- Divers, who may be unfit for employment, not only put themselves at risk but also others who may have to deal with the consequences.
Related safety flashes
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IMCA SF 22/17
1 September 2017
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