A St. John's commercial diver says more stringent regulations for working in a contaminated St. John's harbour is just part of the cost of doing business.

Terry Griffin says the cost of endangering divers' lives is far higher.

A commercial diver for almost 25 years, Griffin was reacting to a Telegram article Wednesday in which a local commercial diving company owner said the cost of abiding by the latest batch of provincial diving regulations is becoming too expensive.

"The same rules are applying to all diving companies," he said. "The bottom line is the health and safety of divers, and this has been a long time coming.

"The rules are pretty clear."

In March 2002, the province started phasing in the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) rules for commercial diving operations. Among the requirements is non-permeable rubber suits to protect divers from contaminated water.

"The information is there. It's the company's responsibility to protect their divers. This is not new, and companies are well aware of it," said Griffin.

'START WITH CONTRACTORS'

"The education has got to start with contractors, the people that hire -- whether it be fishermen that want inspections on their boat or civil construction companies involved with water and sewer.

"Any company that would hire divers has got to be educated that you've got to be looking for a certain standard. If you don't, you'll be facing Bill C-45."

Passed last November, that legislation amended corporate criminal liability laws. One consequence is that corporations, owners and managers can be criminally charged if occupational health and safety violations result in injury or death.

Griffin says another goal of the rules is to help to stamp out "black market" divers who operate with little more than a couple of air tanks and a recreational scuba diving certificate.

"They're hired by price," said Griffin.

Because they have lower overhead, they can offer a lower price, and he says some contractors and municipalities hire them for underwater visual inspections or repairs.

"A lot of these infrastructure and water and sewer jobs are put out by public works. There should be absolutely no way that a local scuba diver should be able to infiltrate all that protection that's put there and carry out underwater work."

His commercial divers, for instance, use video and ultrasonic equipment to properly inspect, test and document work. They also work in teams, check each other's work and make sure things are run safely.

"Companies invest hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment," Griffin said.

"There are so many things that can happen. Any kind of pressure-related illness can happen in as little as five feet of water. If someone holds their breath and lifts up a heavy object, they can overextend their lungs, they can embolize, and it could be a fatality."

Commercial divers are certified to do the work by offshore industry regulatory bodies or the Diver Certification Board of Canada. Those agencies scrutinize a diver's qualifications and experience before granting certification.

INFECTIONS LIKELY

Griffin says divers can get infections and diseases, such as hepatitis, from fecal coliforms in the harbour, where raw sewage is pumped daily.

And if a diving company wants an official list of what's in that water, he suggests they visit St. John's City Hall or St. John's Harbour Atlantic Coastal Action Plan (ACAP) and get a report on the harbour.

"I've got it," Griffin said.

mbaird@thetelegram.com