Commercial divers don’t have the luxury of fish spotting or calm sightseeing in the reefs. Instead, these divers are tasked with maintenance, inspection, construction and repair — among other duties — at a myriad of locations from offshore to lakes and dams. When the waters get rough, that could mean many sorts of injuries.
Here are a few injuries you could experience during your time as a commercial diver.
Common injuries as a commercial diver
It isn’t uncommon to be hurt during any type of diving, but commercial divers are especially prone to serious injuries. The biggest difference in recreational diving is that they don’t take risks on a daily basis, but commercial divers do. They’re also doing more complicated tasks in a work environment.
Working on or around construction sites, for instance, could mean exposure to contaminated waters. Sewage, oils, nuclear waste and other hazardous material can cause immediate or long-term effects that could hinder your work.
One of the most common ways of being injured as a diver can come from a lack of training. This can then lead to inexperienced use of equipment and improper driving procedures. One such injury can come from a diver ascending too rapidly and causing decompression sickness (DCS), also known as “compressed air sickness” or “evolved gas dysbarism,” which can cause pockets of gas to build up in the blood and skin.
One of the most dangerous scenarios to find yourself in is drowning or near-drowning. This could occur because of a shift in weather causing severe water turbulence, faulty equipment or running out of air. You might experience additional injuries due to near-drowning, such as hypothermia or brian damage.
If you have experienced severe injuries as a commercial diver, then you may need to consider your legal options.