Guidance on health, fitness and medical issues in diving operations
- Recommended Practice
- Revision 0.2 - October 2026
This document provides comprehensive guidance on health, fitness, and medical issues in diving operations, emphasising the importance of diver health and fitness, roles and responsibilities of key persons, and recommendations for diving contractors.
Contents
Introduction
Aims
Application
List of abbreviations / acronyms
Glossary of terms
The medical and physical fitness of commercial divers – Roles and responsibilities of key persons
The medical fitness of commercial divers
The medical fitness of commercial divers
The physical fitness of divers to dive and work underwater
The physical fitness of divers to dive and to work underwater
The mental fitness of divers to dive and to work underwater
Diver nutrition and hydration
Dealing with failure to report pre-existing medical issues
Medications and other substances that may not be used by diving personnel without specialist medical advice
Installation/vessel medics and diving
Accessing specialist hyperbaric medical advice and assistance
References
Appendix A – Pre-diving medical checklist
Appendix B – Post-diving medical checklist
Appendix C – Medical questionnaire for completion by the candidate diver and their GP to confirm medical history (no examination is required)
Appendix D – Medications/substances that may not be used by diving personnel without specialist medical advice
Revision
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Rev. 0.2 - October 2026Incorporation of mental fitness guidance and document refresh
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Rev. 0.1 - May 2024Foreword, layout and bookmarking updated; no change to content
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Rev. - October 2018Initial publication