HSE banner

Diving at Work Regulations 1997

List of approved qualifications dated 18 May 2007

Guidance on this document

1. Document status

This document contains regulatory requirements; it is not a guidance leaflet.

2. Document title

This document shall be known as: "List of Approved Diving Qualifications dated 18 May 2007".

3. Approved qualifications

Under regulation 14(1) of the Diving at Work Regulations 1997 (DWR) (1), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) may approve in writing such qualification as it considers suitable for the purpose of ensuring the adequate competence of divers for the purposes of regulation 12(1)(a).  Under regulation 14(2), HSE's approval may be limited to any diver or class of divers, or any dive or class of dive, and may be subject to conditions or limited to time.  Approvals generally come into force on the date that they are signed and remain in force until such time as they are revoked in writing by a person authorised in that regard by the Health and Safety Executive.

4. Duties of and restrictions on divers

Under regulation 12(1)(a), no diver shall dive in a diving project unless he/she has an approved qualification which is valid for any activity he/she may reasonably expect to carry out while taking part in the diving project.  An exception to this is where the dive is part of training which, if successfully completed, would lead to the issue of an approved qualification (regulation 12(2)(a)).

5. Duties of the diving contractor

Under regulation 6(3)(a), the diving contractor shall ensure that there are sufficient people with suitable competence to carry out safely and without risk to health both the diving project and any action (including the giving of first-aid) which may be necessary in the event of a reasonably foreseeable emergency connected with the diving project.

6. Suitable competence

The inclusion of a particular diving qualification in this list does not mean that a person holding that qualification is necessarily competent to carry out every type of diving work falling within the relevant class of diving.  The qualification must be appropriate to:

  • any activity the diver may reasonably expect to carry out while taking part in the diving project;
  • the objectives of the diving project;
  • the required diving technique;
  • the level of competence required to undertake the assigned duty;
  • the findings of the risk assessment;
  • any restriction and/or limitation stated on a particular diving qualification certificate, which must be strictly complied with such as: diving technique; type of equipment; breathing gases; and maximum depth.

7. HSE's CMAS equivalence table

Recreational qualifications are acceptable for some specific classes of diving.  These are CMAS (Confédération Mondiale des Activitiés Subaquatiques (World Confederation of Underwater Activities)) qualifications or their equivalent where a particular Recreational Agency/Organisation is not a CMAS member.

8. HSE has produced a table of equivalencies.  Only CMAS 2*, and 3* equivalences are listed as only these are quoted in the list of approved diving qualifications.  Qualifications within a particular agency/organisation that are higher than those listed are therefore acceptable.

Recreational Agency/Organisation CMAS 2* equivalence CMAS 3* equivalence
American Nitrox Divers International UK Ltd - (ANDI) Rescue Diver Divemaster 
British Sub-Aqua Club - (BS-AC) Dive Leader & Sports Diver Advanced Diver
Global Underwater Explorers (UK) Ltd - (GUE) Not applicable All GUE qualifications
International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers UK - (IANTD) Rescue Diver Divemaster
International Technical Diving Agency (ITDA UK) Ltd - (ITDA) Advanced Nitrox Diver Extended Range Nitrox Diver
National Association of SCUBA Educators UK - (NASE) Rescue Diver & Advanced Rescue Diver Divemaster
National Association of Underwater Instructors UK - (NAUI) Master Scuba Diver Divemaster
Professional Association of Diving Instructors International Ltd - (PADI) Rescue Diver Dive Master
Professional SCUBA Association International (Europe) - (PSAI) Advanced Deep Air Level 1 Advanced Deep Air Level 2
Sub-Aqua Association - (SAA) Dive Leader & Club Diver Dive Supervisor
Scottish Sub-Aqua Club - (SS-AC) Diver 1st Class Diver & Master Diver
SCUBA Diving International (UK) - (SDI) Rescue Diver Divemaster
SCUBA Schools International GB Ltd - (SSI) Master Diver & Advanced Open Water Diver Dive Control Specialist
Technical Diving International (UK) - (TDI) Advanced Nitrox Extended Range

9. The above list is not a comparison of qualifications from one agency/organisation to another.  Neither does it automatically grant any rights to persons wishing to use their current qualification to gain a qualification with another agency/organisation.  Crossover requirements are entirely at the discretion of the agency/organisation to which the person is applying.

10. European Council Directive 92/51/EEC of 18 June 1992 on a second general system for the recognition of professional education and training to supplement Directive 89/48/EEC

If you are a citizen of a Member State of the European Union or the European Economic Area and have a diving qualification that is not included in this list; you may be eligible to gain recognition of your diving qualification under European Council Directive 92/51/EEC.  Contact HSE, Diving Operations Strategy Team, Ground Floor - South Wing, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS (telephone number: 020 7717 6763) for advice with details of your qualifications.

11. Using combinations of approved diving qualifications

Some classes of diving allow for combinations of approved diving qualifications.  Only those combinations listed are approved.

12. HSE clarification note

Text between [     ] is intended as an HSE clarification note showing the HSE equivalent.  The text is therefore not likely to appear as part of the official qualification title.

13. How to obtain copies of the list

The list is available from: HSE, Diving Operations Strategy Team, Ground Floor - South Wing, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS (telephone number: 020 7717 6763) and also published on the internet: http://www.hse.gov.uk/diving/information.htm

Footnote

1. S.I. 1997 No. 2776 back