ASSESSMENT DIVE LOCKER DISCREPANCIES AND REQUIREMENTS

By Chief Petty Officer Alan Dewitt, Diving Analyst

Diving safety assessments (DSA) conducted on all Marine Corps dive lockers over the past two years have revealed the top two common discrepancies are maintenance issues and medical readiness.

Maintenance Issues

Naval Safety Command conducted 11 DSAs in the last two years and all had maintenance procedural compliance discrepancies with scuba equipment, MK-25 underwater breathing apparatus (UBAs) and compressors. Most of the Marine Corps dive lockers have a Navy diver assigned, which helps tremendously with maintenance and understanding the planned maintenance scheduling software, SKED. The dive lockers that do not have a Navy diver assigned face additional challenges because the Navy administers the maintenance program.

Procedural compliance is one of the most important factors in maintaining divers’ life support equipment. The knowledge and training associated with the SKED program are equally important and the Marine Corps dive lockers need additional training at the locations where Navy divers are not present to ensure maintenance is being completed and tracked correctly.

Medical Readiness

Nine of the eleven commands assessed had discrepancies with medical readiness. Medical readiness includes periodic health assessments, cardiopulmonary resuscitation qualifications, annual skin cancer screenings, current diver physical exams signed by an undersea medical officer and annual dental exams. Medical readiness has been a problem for Marine Corps dive lockers due to manning issues and the complexity of tracking reserve divers. Most of the Marine dive lockers have a good process in place to track medical readiness but must do a better job ensuring all divers meet the medical requirements before diving. The requirements for medical readiness pertaining to divers can be found in NAVMED P-117 and OPNAVINST 3150.27D, which all medical personnel should be reviewing while continuing to stress the importance of medical readiness to command divers.

Policy

Another notable finding during DSAs is Marine Corps dive lockers without an assigned Navy master diver generally have more discrepancies. These dive lockers, per policy, must receive DSAs annually. Marine Corps divers must follow two separate diving instructions, MCO 3150.4A and OPNAVINST 3150.27D. Regarding DSAs, MCO 3150.4A states safety inspections will be conducted “on all Marine Corps units with a diving capability at least once every two years. Marine Corps units without a master diver will be inspected annually.” These requirements differ from OPNAVINST 3150.27D, which mandates a 15 to 21-month interval after successfully completing a Diving Operational Readiness Inspection (DORI). With the absence of a DORI being conducted on Marine Corps dive lockers, they are not meeting the same standards established for Navy diving in OPNAVINST 3150.27D. Navy and Marine Corps dive lockers have very similar requirements, but MCO 3150.4A has different requirements for safety assessments. For one, it does not require units to receive a DORI. More training and more Navy assistance could be provided if MCO 3150.4A implemented a DORI program. The DORI addition could help prevent many of the discrepancies NAVSAFECOM dive analysts have documented. •