Commercial diver Luke Seabrook's death is 'catalyst for change'

Two leading voices in Canada's commercial diving world are criticizing the Nova Scotia government for not doing more to protect working divers on the one year anniversary of Luke Seabrook's death.

The 39-year-old from Dartmouth, N.S., was killed on the job on July 15, 2015 as he was inspecting an underwater dam gate at the Nova Scotia Power plant in Annapolis Royal. It's believed he died when he was sucked into a gap in the gate which should've been closed. The opening creates a powerful suction that traps divers — the water's differential pressure is a hazard that divers call Delta P.

'He's part of the catalyst'

"Luke is very much on our mind," said Doug Elsey, executive director of the Canadian Association of Diving Contractors. "He's part of the catalyst, I guess, as to why we're pushing as an industry to have minimal acceptable standards across Canada," he said.

Currently, only Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba and Alberta have enshrined in legislation the Canadian Standards Association's diving safety code and competency standard. CSA guidelines are crafted by divers, educators and regulators and are updated every five years.

'Unbelievably dangerous'

In the association's current magazine, the group is calling on every province and territory to adopt CSA diving standards. Elsey said they're regarded as among the best standards in the world.

They include information on ways for divers and crew members to identify differential pressure, which Elsey said is "unbelievably dangerous."

The test is as simple as lowering a mop or sandbag over the side of a dam. If there's a sudden yank, Elsey said that's a sure sign there's a hole in the dam that could suck in a diver. The suction pressure can be in the tonnes, and is inescapable.

"You're just trapped. That's all there is to it 'til you run out of air or physically are injured to a point where you succumb to the accident," said Elsey. 

'Luke is a good reason to move'

Incidents involving Delta P have killed about three to four divers in Canada over the last 10 years, he said.

"Luke is a good reason to move on stuff like that. There have been unfortunate others before him. Enough's enough," said Elsey.

The call for change is supported by the Diver Certification Board of Canada, the national body that certifies occupational divers.  

"I think Nova Scotia is silly in a way — it's blind not to adopt them," said David Parkes, CEO of the Diver Certification Board of Canada. 

Diving community hit hard

Parkes anticipates changes will follow once the Department of Labour releases its findings into Seabrook's death. 

He believes if Nova Scotia had adopted the CSA standards, and backed them up with enforcement, Seabrook might be alive today.

"It did hit the diving community really hard and I think there's a lot of people that believe the accident could've been avoided."

He said divers in Ontario and British Columbia generally adopt safer practices because of the possibility of surprise inspections. Their regulations require divers to report their jobs to the labour department.

"It forces people to look at the regulations and say, 'OK, if the inspector comes by, what does he want to see?' And then you just have it in place," said Parkes.

Parkes said New Brunswick is also moving in the right direction. He said a group of labour inspectors in that province has undergone a specialized course on inspecting dive sites according to the diving safety code.

Nova Scotia Power paying attention

Parkes said Seabrook's death has not only rocked the diving community — he predicts Nova Scotia Power will enact changes. He said he's been talking to the utility and said it's paying more attention to the CSA standard.

He hopes that Nova Scotia Power will follow the lead of Hydro-Quebec. After a female commercial diver was killed by differential pressure, Hydro-Quebec implemented a diving safety policy that went beyond provincial regulations.

Parkes said that forced the industry to conform to Hydro-Quebec's higher standards to be able to bid on contracts.

"I think you'll see that happen with Nova Scotia Power as well," said Parkes.