A happy New Year to one and all. Well, this is not exactly what I had expected to be doing in January 2017 – not that it’s a unpleasant task, just that the plan was for someone else to be taking on the role of the secretary of the Association and they would have the pleasure of compiling the article for this journal. Sadly, due to some rather confusing events with the incoming secretary in the early part of December, I find myself back in the position for some months to come.

So what is 2017 going to bring to keep the secretary busy? The first task on the list is the review of the supervisors’ annual CPD requirement. The initial review of annual CPD has been completed and it looks like about 60 names could be earmarked to be removed from the list of currently certificated supervisors as they have failed to complete CPD in either of the last two years.

We give some leeway to those who do complete the requirement in any one year. It is accepted that in this busy world in which we all live there are more pressing things than keeping tabs on your Supervisor Card CPD status. So if you miss one year you are permitted to complete this in retrospect and catch up. Leave it for two complete years and you are starting to look a bit remiss, and more importantly might just be getting a bit out of touch with any changes that have taken place in the meantime.

The final check of completed annual CPD is generally carried out around about now, so there is still time for you to catch up and get the 2016 session reviewed, and – if appropriate – the 2015 session also.

SEAWORK
Looking further ahead, now in its 20th year, the Seawork Commercial Marine and Workboat Exhibition takes place on 13-15 June in Southampton. The Association hopes to be putting on a good show in the Dive Pavilion this year with the possibility of some new product launch activities on the stand by one of our members.

Seawork may not be seen by some as a worthwhile use of their time, but this broad-ranging exhibition now covers almost every aspect of commercial marine activity in the UK and beyond, and diving is an integral part of the majority of marine operations. The exhibition has come a long way in 20 years, as has the Association, so the exposure we can get at Seawork, and the opportunity to meet with client groups and put a face to the name of someone you speak to on the phone, can sometimes help other people see how involvement with the members can actually help them develop their business.

Most of our Guidance Documents were updated in 2016, and should be available on the website. But there is still some work to do to supplement the existing suite of industry documents with some new material that will assist inland/inshore diving contractors to promote and conduct their activities in a more professional way.

Whilst the scope of diving operations may vary greatly across the sector, whether it’s a relatively simple operation replacing tiles in a swimming pool, or a more challenging task supporting a complex salvage operation, the basic requirement for preparation of dive planning documents and compilation of task risk assessments remains the same. The complexity may vary, but the general content should be similar. Let’s all work to make 2017 a good year for commercial activity and safety performance.

Roger O’Kane, ADC Secretary