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The new Broco torch - couldn't be more different

brasshat@offshorediver.com (J Sullivan) — Sat, 05 May 2012 12:17:41 +0000

Broco's new BR-22 Plus underwater burning torch.

We've been watching this torch for a year and so far got to play with a couple of different prototypes. This is the production version.

There are a lot of things different; it pretty much looks like the old torch but that's where the similarity ends.

BR-22 Plus Brochure (PDF)

Operation & Maintenance Guide (PDF)

I can feel it runnning...

brasshat@offshorediver.com (Anon) — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:57:06 +0000

Summary:

Diver at bottom of downline was hit in the head by a hydraulic tool he was waiting for. Nose block device in his hat cut his face and loosened a tooth. Helmet rendered inop.

Date of injury:

2009-08-18

Please describe:

Here's one for ya. Three years ago I was standing at the bottom of the downline waiting for the impact to come back down. It shit the bed and I sent it up to be swapped out. It was about 0300 hrs and I was up out of the ditch on natural bottom at about -80.

Topside says it's on the way down. Down line's almost dead vertical from the pipe to the boat. Got my hand on it and I can feel the gun running. I'm looking up and moving my head around to try and catch it in the camera light and out of nowhere WHAM!!! the impact clocks me square in the front of my hat.

This was a one inch gun with a 2.5 inch deepwell socket on it and it was fuckin flyin. Tenders must have been just dumping the hydraulics into the water. I fell backwards into the ditch, still holding the downline and now Im wearing the impact too. The clearing device in my hat cut my lip and loosened a tooth. My reg houseing got smashed up pretty good. Kinked the bent tube. Messed my hat up good. Usually we put chem lights on the tools at night, but we were out. That thing knocked me half stupid.

We're calling this a:

Medical - Had to see a doctor, but still able to work despite this injury.

Whats to learn here?

Don't look up! LOL Totally my fault because I KNEW BETTER than to stand under the angle of the downline but I was not thinking about that. So chem light or not if I had not been fucking off and thinking about something else I would probably figured out I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I been diving for years. goes to show you got to always be paying attention. Even though the downline was close to vertical, the gun still favored the angle coming down. I could have predicted if I thought about it.,

How's the injured hand doing now?

I'm ok but it cost me a grand in parts to put my hat right

What is this?

Near Miss, Injury, and Hazard in commercial diving.

This is a Safer Diving Report submited to the Safer Diving project here at Offshore Diver.

Anyone can participate. Share - Discuss - Prevent.

Diver Entrapment While Burning

brasshat@offshorediver.com (Dive Supervisor) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:30:38 +0000

Summary:

Diver was using hogging line to position himself while burning to remove steel from a pile arrangement. He tied in his burn with a burn from another diver (sim-ops). Target metal shifted in unexpected fashion and pinned him against his hogging line such that he was unable to reach his knife to cut the hogging line and free himself. Other diver went to his assistance; uninjured diver opted to continue his dive.

Narrative:

We were working a dam job near Pittsburgh, Pa. We had two divers in the water cutting an18" horizontal band off an abandoned pier shaft 8' off bottom in about 16' of water. The pier was an extension of a drill shaft which was a 8' diameter pipe 3/4" thick reinforced with rebar and concrete. The two horizontal cuts had were to be made and stopped 2" short of meeting each other for safety purposes. Diver 1 was in his hogging line starting to join the two horizontal lines with an 18" vertical cut. Diver 2 was completing the 2nd cut around the circumference of the pier all of this with an exothermic cutting torch. Diver 1 completed the connection from top to bottom line.

The result was the band of steel that was formally under tension pushing out and pinning him in his hogging line to the point he could not reach his knife to cut himself from the 1/2" poly hogging line he has trapped in. The diver calmly stated to me his queer position and I alerted Diver 2 who quickly cut him out. Diver 1 stated he was not badly injured and we all agreed to continued and finish the dive. After completing the dive we had a series of safety meetings to review what happened, how we missed the hazard and how we could prevent it in the future. We talked about the fact that most pipes and or what we sometimes refer to as a caisson are basically a flat piece of sheet metal rolled into a cylinder and then fused. When we cut that in the fashion we did we put our diver on the pushing end of one mean spring.

Being a large group of intelligent and seasoned divers I was a little embarrased nobody caught that potential hazard in the pre-dive meeting or in the dive plan written months before as is the case working for the A.C.O.E. On the next pier shaft we chose to cut the band off in small 2' sections. On the first section of the cut we discovered pocketing hydrogen gas as a result a sloppy concrete pour. We will be moving to a cutting method that dose not include fire.

What is this?

Near Miss, Injury, and Hazard in commercial diving.

This is the first Safer Diving Report to come out of the Safer Diving project here at Offshore Diver. This is the only non-agency effort to collect this data that we are aware of. You can get in here.

The OGP Dive Safety Workshop

theroatdeal@yahoo.com (John Carl Roat) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:17:09 +0000

I want to give the Oil and Gas Producers, OGP, a big SEAL Team HOOYAH!! They set up the event and to this old divers way of thinking was a success. All the major players in U. S. diving regulation, with the exception of OSHA, were in attendance. Commander Robert. L. Smith, Chief Vessel and Facility Operating Standards Division, made the opening remarks and participated in the full workshop. He was there early and stayed after to answer any questions he could, for anyone that had them.

The ADCI and IMCA were in attendance. Mike Brown, President of the ADCI was the Vice Chairman. He too came early and stayed late to discuss anything to do with our diving business. The most interesting presentation for me was made by David Parkes, the Chief Executive Officer Diver Certification Board of Canada. Titled: Diving Safety in Inshore Waters: A Regulators Perspective. Read it in PDF.

In my opinion the most important fact in dealing with the OGP: Divers and dive supervisor were involved in the planning and presenting at Their Dive Safety Workshop. Just as they were in the OGPs soon to be issued OXY-ARC Burning Standard. It would be my guess that of the 100 or so attendees there where at least 10 working divers & supervisor. They came from every part of our business, Inland, Offshore, Union and Non-Union. I do believe our business is getting ready for change.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This will be my last Roat Deal. I have accepted a position on a Board of Directors that will be working on basic dive safety issues and I do mean BASIC. All my passion, with the exception of diving & supervising, will now go in those directions. I do want to publicly thank Brasshat and Longstreath for providing the voice I have had on their web pages. HOOYAH Jes and Mark! You guys have and are making a difference!

John Carl Roat
Diver, Supervisor, Superintendent

Dive safe: It’s profitable and it hurts less!

OGP Safety Alerts

Learn Something

Where I work My Videos Knots

Real Deal SEAL Team website

John has written a book on his experiences in SEAL training. Click on the cover image to read reviews and order it.

From the Diver's Forum:
Posted by Surprised Diver on 7/11/2004, 6:05:56
I read that old bastard Roat’s book, Class-29, I couldn’t put it down. No wonder he has so little patience; most of us don’t know what the words "team work" or "effort" mean. The thing that surprised me most was he made me laugh. I hate to give him the satisfaction but I’m going to ask him to sign it.

This is John's 41st article for Offshore Diver. Long time we been doing this. He says this is the last Roat Deal, the name we gave his column a bunch of years ago because the "real deal" and the Roat's perspective are usually the same thing. It's been fun working with John and publishing his shit for the last decade. OD expects that if we are to loose a writer, then the Diver's Association is to gain a hard hitting sumbitch Director. Well done John. It's been great. We will, I am sure, be seeing you.

Dive safe,

brasshat@offshorediver.com

April 28, 2012

Tips for Underwater Miracle Workers

brasshat@offshorediver.com (J Sullivan) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:15:04 +0000

Lacing Slings

A common mistake is to run the eyes of the lacing sling back through the corresponding holes on the other flange before connecting them to your lift bag or tugger. Better if you run them into bolt holes that are lower. For example, go from 10 and 2 on the first flange to 9 and 3 on the second, and then to your lift bag. This keeps the second flange from sagging and makes it a lot easier to stab your drift pins.

Hand Jetting

No matter how big the hole you jetted out is, it ain't big enough.

Driftpins

Somebody told me years ago to always cup a drift pin in my hand and not get my thumbs between it and the pipe. I've still got thumbs.

Hytorc'in

You can get slightly higher pressure on each pass with a Hytorc if you put the pump reservoir in a cooler full of ice. This works really well on hot days.

Hammer Wrenchs

Have the tenders weld a chain link on to the end of the handle of each hammer wrench for lanyards. Actually, you would be better off getting a welder to do it.