The nontechnical causes of diving accidents: can U.S. Navy divers learn from other industries?

Area of Science:

• Occupational Safety
• Human Factors Engineering
• Military Medicine

Background:

• U.S. Navy diving, despite its overall safety record, involves inherent risks leading to accidents.
• Fatal and nonfatal diving incidents are frequently linked to leadership and situation awareness deficiencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the primary causes of U.S. Navy diving accidents and near misses.
• To explore the applicability of human error mitigation techniques from other high-reliability industries to naval diving operations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of accident and near-miss data within the U.S. Navy diving community.
• Review of human error mitigation strategies employed in aviation and medicine.
• Attitude survey assessing communication dynamics between junior and senior divers.

Main Results:

• Leadership failures and inadequate risk/time assessment were identified as the most common causes of diving accidents.
• A communication gap exists, with junior divers desiring to ask questions while senior divers are less receptive.
• Existing human error mitigation techniques from aviation and medicine show potential relevance.

Conclusions:

• Addressing leadership and situation awareness is critical for enhancing U.S. Navy diver safety.
• Adapting methods for identifying, analyzing, and mitigating human error from other industries may reduce diving accidents.
• Fostering open communication and learning from near misses are essential for continuous improvement in naval diving safety.