Well the fever is sure there have seen a number of suction dredges working in rivers around. Just want to float something about this. We have an issue that has not raised its head due to the ability of the guys diving and or luck. but what happens if someone does have an accident and the consequences will come from work safe. So have been talking to a dive instructor and we are looking at creating a 101 for dredge divers in the river environment to have, thus protecting us if something happens. We will be able to show that we have been proactive in safety. I know its filling a bureaucratic gap but i feel we need something going forward. The key is to keep it simple and on the subject. I have discussed with a number of places and have found a qualified instructor i believe i can work with on this project. not asking for help but just putting it out there.
Personally, my gut reaction is that the course wouldn’t hold too much practical value unless it was being taught by a seasoned gold dredger. I feel the risks involved tend to be very different to scuba diving, having done a lot of both myself.
If it could be demonstrated that there’s some real practical information in there, then it might be useful. The most dangerous things I can think of off the top of my head are:
- Getting pinned by boulders or a wall collapsing. I feel a normal dive instructor wouldn’t be able to give much first hand guidance around these hazards as it’s not something most divers would encounter.
- Engine exhausts and air intakes. I imagine the dive instructor will be familiar with this issue due to air tank refills.
For most people I’d imagine it’s predominately a shallow water activity. Most of the time you can simply stand up if there’s an issue.
Yes agree with what you have said. I feel i may have found the right person. But it has to be practical to dredging for sure so have found a dive instructor that does do gold mining as well. As i said its 101 which to me is introduction at what we do to keep safe. Having dealt with worksafe in the past they accepted what is written by industry. we need to write it is all i think we need to do.
Maybe a course like what Dave McCracken used to run in the USA would be more popular. A hands on course on dredging efficiently and safely, cover everything from dredge sluice setup to cleanups, hole design, rock winching, etc etc.
Your committed now Gav. 
JW 