Dear Madam, Dear Sir,
Read this letter attentively!
This is important when you are an active diver / dive supervisor in the Dutch Sector.
Herewith we inform you that the Labour Department of the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and
Employment (SZW) in 2012 introduced another way to use the system of accreditation and
certification, cf EU Policy. This means a new legislation for all professions covered by the term
"high-risk labor", such as asbestos, industrial hygiene, vertical transport and hyperbaric labour,
where diving work is part of.
In 2003 the Netherlands government decided to change its policy about certification, a
component of the Netherlands safety and health legislation and regulations. Bureau Berenschot a
consultancy agency, was asked to advise and support the Ministry of Social Affairs and
Employment (SZW) in its achievement and made standard documents to conduct uniformity.
In 2005 the Netherlands Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) starts to notify the
branches that the SZW was working at legislative change for certification of persons, products
and systems based on an EU- decision. The established certifying institutes and branches were
asked to cooperate. At that moment eight (of 27) branches were asked to cooperate. For instance
the asbestos industry, was in the process a stage further than the diving industry.
In 2006 the NDC in which disciplines of diving industry (government, employers and employees)
are represented was asked by SZW to cooperate in its achievement.
On 11 July 2008 the Stichting Werken onder Overdruk (SWOD) (translated: Management
Foundation Hyberbaric Labour) was founded by the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment.
The Foundation SWOD will take care for an efficient en effective certification scheme for diving
material and certain professions in the sector Working Under Pressure (including caisson and
hyperbaric centres)
The foundation SWOD will also manage a public register (a database online).
The Foundation SWOD has an independent chairman of the board and the other members of the
board represent the relevant disciplines, i.c.: civil diving industry, Ministry of Defence and fire
service divers
The Centraal College van Deskundigen (SWOD CCvD) (translation: General College of Experts)
represents the industry, contractors, employers and employees. The SWOD CCvD developes and
maintains the certification schemes.
The Foundation Training en Knowledge Center for Hyperbaric Labour (NOK) managed the
College of Experts of the civil diving industry (inshore, offshore, salvage, zoos, caisson, etc).
The first and major appointment of SWOD CCvD was to convert the training standards in present
legislation to the new future design, the certification schemes conform master documents.
With the new legislation the hierarchy will change (see Management Foundation SWOD) and the
terminology will change.
For example: currently training commercial diving consists of 4 modules, namely Category D, A,
B and C. In the new system we have 8 modules.
There will be a strict separation between training and certification based on the NEN ISO 17024.
And there is actually recertification!
For the diving medical part was already done because the certificate with a validity of two years.
Diver or Supervisor hitherto merely proven by actual experience Log. However, the new system
now requires that you actually need to be confirmed by the Certifying Institute.
Certificates are in the new system based on reassessment issued for 4 years (theory and practical
exam) and after 2 years, an interim audit (logbook research) to take place.
The certifying bodies, ic NDC, will be designated by the minister based on an assessment from
the Raad van Accreditatie (RvA) (translation: Dutch Accreditation Council). www.rva.nl
End of 2011 the certifications schemes were offered to the Ministry of Social Affairs and
Employment (SZW) for approval. For approval the Dutch Accreditation Council tested the
schemes on feasibility.
After approval and positive tests the certification schemes were published by the Dutch
government on the 16th March 2012 and presented as new legislation.
The transitional period starts on the 1st July 2012 and will end on the 1st July 2014.
During that period all the divers and supervisors must contact their Certifying institutes for
recertification. !!!
New Terminology
Commercial Diving (till 1st July 2012)
Category D
Diving with SCUBA with a maximum depth of 9 metres
Category A
Diving with SCUBA with a maximum depth of 30 metres
Category B
Diving with Surface Demand equipment till 50 metres including
Wetbell
Category C
Closed Bell / saturation diving
Dive supervisor D
Working as a dive supervisor supervised divers Category D
Dive supervisor
Working as a dive supervisor (A, B or C diving work)
Commercial Diving (from 1st July 2012)
Category A1
Diving with SCUBA with a maximum depth of 9 metres
Category A2
Diving with SCUBA with a maximum depth of 15 metres
Category A3
Diving with SCUBA with a maximum depth of 30 metres
Category B1
Diving with Surface Demand equipment till 15 metres
Category B2
Diving with Surface Demand equipment till 30 metres
Category B3
Diving with Surface Demand equipment till 50 metres
Category B4
Diving with Surface Demand equipment till 50 metres including
Wetbell
Category C
Closed Bell / saturation diving
Dive supervisor
Working as a dive supervisor (A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3 B4 and C )
Recertification
Presently, a certificate remains valid as long as the certificate holder can demonstrate that in the
past 24 months has met the experience requirement.
From 1 July 2012, the certificate holder has to demonstrate this fact and the Certifying Institute
must confirm.
Every 4 years logbook study including a test (aptitude test) and every 2 years a logbook study
(the interim audit)
Certificates will be issued with a expiration date for 4 years. (but it is possible that the 2 years
interim audit lead to withdrawal)
During the transitional period the certifying institutes start with the interim audit.
The holders of the certificate Diving or Supervisor must, if they remain active as a diver /
supervisor contact the Certifying institute
This means that experience requirement will be verified:
Old
New
Experience requirement
Diving
D
A1/B1
at least 20 dives in the preceding 24 months
Work
Diving
A
A2/A3
at least 30 dives in the preceding 24 months.
Work
Diving
B
B2/B3/B4
at least 30 dives in the preceding 24 months.
Work
Diving
C
C
at least 10 bellruns which 5x bellman and 5 lockouts
Work
in the preceding 24 months
Supervisor
D
A1
at least 20 dives supervised in the preceding 24
months
Supervisor
A2, A3, B2,
supervised at least 30 dives in the preceding 24
B3, B4 and C
months
It is important that these dives were also allowed, so it is important that the Certifying Institute
know you're diving medical approved by an authorized physician and that the diver dives took
place under the supervision of a certified supervisor.
For recertification of supervisors it is also important to know the scope of the diving work
supervised including all the diving certificates of the supervisor obtained in the past.
Does the certificate holder does not meet the validity requirements then he runs the risk that
measures taken by the Certifying institute. (See certification schemes)
Under current legislation, also had certificates Diving work team leader and a validity of 2 years.
In consultation it was decided to use the following rotation schedule.
Your certificate is issued after July 1, and issued in an even year you must contact your certifying
institute.
For now: issued in July, August, September, October, November and December in an even year.
For example Date of issue July 15, 2004 = July 15, 2012 you should arrange recertification.
Date of issue November 14, 2002 = Nov. 14, 2012
If your certificate was issued in an uneven year then you must contact the CI in 2013.
Example: date of issue 1st February 2007 = recertification before 1st February 2013!
Your certificate is issued in the first half of an even year then you need to do your recertification
in the first half of 2014.
The intention is that by 1st July 2014 the transition ends.
If you are not meeting the experience requirement, then in consultation with you opportunities to
get your certificate valid again, will be discussed.
If you meet the experience requirement, you will be informed in writing with the new terms and
the right scope defined.
Your details will be registrated in the public register of the Management Foundation SWOD
Recertification procedure has to start in a period of two months before expiration of your
certificate.
July 1st begins the transition. The government assumes that everyone in the Netherlands, the
Dutch legislation is supposed to know. You should therefore be aware of that change. The NDC
has in its capacity as a training school and interests in the past 4 years with the students regularly
informed of this impending change in legislation. Spread the word spread the word, is the advice.
Too late means suspension after six weeks and eventually withdraw your authority to dive /
supervise..
The Certifying Institutes has your file. However, sometimes the files are so old that a photo and /
or copy of your ID are not in the file.
Thus it is possible that you will still be invited to come. We assume that digital presentation of
your log - pdf document - or a copy by post at this time is sufficient. Make sure your logbook, a
legal document, neatly and legibly completed. Either every dive should have a company stamp
and signed by a recognized team leader at that time. Do not forget your personal details and
photograph to include in your log.
I only have a certificate of HSE issued before 1998 - this also applies to me?
Yes this is true for everyone in the field, so also for divers with the “old” HSE Part IV, I or II
certificate, issued before 1998. You will recognize this certificate to the format, it concerns the
A5 certificate. Not the credit card format. For the date of issue, you must consider the date of the
first HSE issued certificate, not a replacement. A replacement is identified by a registration with
an R.
If you have an HSE certificate (issued before 1998) and you can prove that you dived in recent
years in the Dutch sector and you are familiar with the NDC, you can simply take the process of
recertification. However, if you're not familiar with the NDC then you should keep in mind that
you are a verification of your ID (face-to-face-meeting) has to be taken place.
Foreign certificates (Note: future under new legislation)
Holders of foreign commercial diver certificates who want to dive commercially in the
Netherlands must have their certificates assessed by a certifying institution appointed by the
Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, i.e. the NDC.
There are two possibilities of assessment procedures
Two kinds of assessment procedures will be possible
 For a short and single project (max 40 days per year) it will be possible to obtain a
statement of equivalence (temporary licence) with an expiry date of 1 (one) year. This
statement can be obtained by an assessment (training & working provable by logbooks) and
an exam with at least knowledge of Dutch legislation (and/or an aptitude test is possible); or
 For regular work, living and working in the Netherlands (working more than 40 days
per year), it will be possible to obtain the Dutch recognised certificate after an assessment
and complete exam, theoretical & practical (aptitude test) conform the certification scheme.
Every worker in the Netherlands must know his working area relevant legislation. The
knowledge of the Dutch Diving Legislation must be examined (a theoretical exam) by Certifying
Institute.
For more information: please contact the NDC [email protected]