Assessment 

Holders of foreign commercial diver certificates who want to dive commercially in the Netherlands must have their certificates assessed by a certifying institution so designated by the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, i.e. the NDC.

Holders of commercial diver certificates, issued or controlled by the government of an EU-country (including countries that are party to the EER-treaty and Switzerland) may only be refused an equivalent certificate (issued by the authorities) when there is an essential discrepancy in the level of training.

Subjects of all other countries must comply with the Dutch certification scheme.

For more information: please ask by email carin@ndc.nl for more details about assessment. We will send you our brochures with further details by email.

The NDC

The Netherlands Diving Centre aims to serve the Dutch diving community. The NDC is a not for profit foundation. Its Board consists of representatives of the government, the unions, the industry en sports diving.

An important activity of the NDC is the development certification of commercial diver training. To realise a training programme the NDC has contracted the Diver Training Institute of the Dutch Ministry of Defence.

The NDC is designated a certifying institution for certification of divers, diver medics, diver supervisors, and diver medical doctors by the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour.

The NDC is a member of the IDSA (International Diving Schools Association), the EDTC (European Diving Technology Committee) and the IMCA (International Maritime Contractors Association), and hosts the secretariat of the NADO (Netherlands Association of Diving contractors).

The NDC organises a regularly congresses on diving and issues a newsletter three times a year (free for (ex)students).

Dutch legislation

The Dutch Labour Inspectorate has issued a brochure about working in the Dutch Sector.

Download here the brochure Diving Work: Managing the Risks, Working safely above and under water 

• European Employees in the Netherlands. Information about agreements on social insurance and tax between the countries of the EU, EEA and Switzerland
• The minimum wage in the Netherlands. Employees younger than 65 years working in the Netherlands are entitled to (at least) the legal minimum wage.
• Working in the Netherlands. Rights and obligations of employees from EU countries.
• Diving in the Dutch sector.  Managing the Risks Working safely above and under water
• Working in the Dutch sector Mining Legislation
• Working hours in the Dutch Sector (see also Employment conditions)
• Working hours in the Mining Sector

Dutch Diving legislation

Since January 1st 2003 the present legislation came into force. There is one certification scheme for all diving, whether employed in the oil & gas industry or otherwise.

Compulsory Certificates

Commercial Diving

Category A	Diving with SCUBA
Category B	Diving with Surface Demand equipment including Wetbell
Category C	Closed Bell / saturation diving
Category D	Diving with SCUBA with a maximum depth of 9 metres
Diving supervisor	Working as a diving supervisor
Diving supervisor Cat D	Working as a diving supervisor with a diving team Category D divers

 Diver medical support

MAD-A	Diver medic A Medical support of SSE-diving
MAD-B	Diver medic B - medical support of saturation or diving in remote places (advised)
Diver First Aid	Medical support of low risk diving work (art. 6.16 lid 4 Arbo Act) & Category D divers

 The aims of training for these certificates have been set down in the Working Conditions Legislation.

 The validity of diving certificates and diving medic certificates is limited.

Commercial diving

Diving certificates are valid for 24 months after the date of issue, and will remain valid as long as the holder can prove (logbooks!) the following experience:

§Category A,  B and D: at least 30 dives in the preceding 24 months;

§Category C: at least 10 bell runs (closed bell) in the previous two years, of which five as a bell man and five as a lock-out diver;

§Diving supervisor (regular and Category D): supervised at least 30 dives in the preceding 24 months.

Diver Medical Support

The diver medic certificates must be periodically renewed by attending refresher training as follows:

§MAD-A and Diver First Aid: every two years;

§MAD-B: every year.

 For more information:  Please contact us by email and ask us to send you the brochures and further information about Assessment (crossover / conversion of your commercial diving certificates).

INFORMATION FOR THE DIVING CONTRACTOR (AND SUPERVISOR)

Offshore: State Supervision of Mines

State Supervision of Mines ensures that the production of minerals in the Netherlands and the Netherlands part of the continental shelf is carried out in a responsible and socially acceptable manner."

Offshore and inshore:  The Labour Inspectorate

The Labour Inspectorate monitors compliance with occupational safety and health legislation and regulations. It investigates violations of worker safety, takes action and provides politically relevant information.

Reporting diving work

1.    If diving work is carried out,

a.       at a depth exceeding 9 metres;

b.       under a current velocity exceeding 0.5 metre per second;

c.       with intended decompression;

d.       with breathing gas other than air;

e.       for a period exceeding a week; or

f.        for the underground mining industry or mineral-extracting industry through drilling, this should be notified in writing to a supervisor designated to this end at least five working days before it commences specifying the location where the work will be carried out, the time this work will start, the probable number of employees involved and the number of employees that will actually carry out the diving work.

2.       If the period between the instructions to perform the diving work as meant in the first paragraph and its execution is shorter than five working days due to the unforeseen and urgent nature of the diving work, the diving work should be reported to the official meant in the first paragraph as soon as possible.

3.       With regard to the diving work for the underground mining industry or the mineral-extracting industry through drilling the written notification meant in the first paragraph should be accompanied by information about the health and safety risks of the diving location.

4.       The first paragraph does not apply to work carried out in connection with diving training.

http://docs.minszw.nl/pdf//83/2005/83_2005_6_14323.pdf

Legislation

For information on translations of Dutch Mining Legislation documents, see also the website of the 'Netherlands Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Association' (Nogepa)' (http://www.nitg.tno.nl/oil&gas/ under the link 'wet- en regelgeving'), which supplies English translations for some of the Legislation. Details of the company are:

Koningin Julianaplein 30
Kantoren Babylon B 5th floor
P.O. Box 11729, 2502 AS Den Haag

Tel.: +31-592-378911
fax: +31-592-378278

e-mail: as@nogepa.nl

website: www.nogepa.nl

and

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

This website is part of the information network of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. The object of this network is to provide information about safety and health at work among employers and employees in the Member States of the European Union. Also, the cooperation between the Member States, as well as the exchange of information and experience, is to be enhanced by this initiative. The coordination of the European network lies with the European Agency, while the implementation on a national level is done by national Focal Points.

http://nl.osha.europa.eu/legislation/?language=en

The most important articles are

Arbo Act  Article 3 and Article 5

Arbo Decree  Article 2.26, 2.27, 2,28, 2,35

Arbo Decree  Section 5, article 6,14   6,14   6,15,  6,16  6,17  6,18   6,20,  9,5, 9,9

Regulations   Article 6,1 – 6.8

Annex   XVI and XVII

Commercial Diving Courses

In the Netherlands the Commercial Diving Courses are given in the Dutch Language.

See Dutch Legislation Working Conditions Decree

Article 6.14.  Suitability

Diving work, caisson work and other work under excess pressure should be carried out by persons in a physical and mental condition such as to be able to be aware of the dangers associated with the work they are to carry out and to prevent or restrict these dangers where possible.

Article 6.14a.  Occupational health medical examination

1.       Persons entrusted with diving work, caisson work and other work under excess pressure are to be submitted to an occupational health medical examination before the start of that work aimed at the special health hazards to which they might be exposed in the performance of that work.

2.       After a period of not more than twelve months after the examination meant in the first paragraph, the occupational health medical examination should be repeated and thereafter each time with an interval of not more than twelve months since the previous examination.

3.       The occupational health medical examination meant in the first and second paragraph must be carried out by a physician in the possession of a diving physician certificate issued by our Minister or a certifying institution.  

4.       Detailed provisions concerning the performance of the occupational health medical examination will be laid down by a Ministerial Order. These provisions may relate to:

a.         the information submitted at the examination;

b.         the manner in which the examination is carried out;

c.          the manner of assessment whether the persons are suitable or not for performing diving work, caisson work or other work under excess pressure;

d.         the manner of recording, processing and retaining the information derived from the examination and also how long this will be retained.

5.       A person should only perform diving work, caisson work or other work under pressure if it is evident from the occupational health medical examination that performing this work is acceptable on medical grounds. If it appears from the findings of the occupational health medical examination that performing diving work, caisson work or other work under excess pressure is only acceptable under the restricting provisions indicated therein, these provisions should be observed.

6.       At the request of the employer or the person examined, the examination meant in this Article can be carried out again once by another physician who is in the possession of a diving physician certificate as meant in the third paragraph. The result of the re-examination replaces the previous one.

Article 6.14b.  Diving physician

1.      .In connection with carrying out the occupational health medical examinations as meant in Article 6.14a, first and second paragraph, various professional skills, training or registration requirements for the issue of the diving physician certificate meant in Article 6.14a, third paragraph can be set in a Ministerial Order.

2.      Detailed provisions may be laid down in a Ministerial Order concerning the equivalence of diving physician certificates issued abroad with the diving physician certificate meant in Article 6.14a, third paragraph.

Mutual Recognition with England

See www.hse.gov.uk/diving/medicalpractitioners.pdf

Netherlands class of Medical Practitioner

Diving Doctors approved under Netherlands Working Conditions Decree dated 1 January

2003, Section 5, Article 6.14b – Diving Doctors.

Note: The medical certificate issued under Netherlands Working Conditions Decree dated 1

January 2003, Section 5, Article 6.14a – Occupational Health Examinations – is

automatically recognised as a certificate of medical fitness to dive under the Diving at

Work Regulations 1997.