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 1.4 GENERAL DIVING OPERATION. In accordance with SECNAVINST 12000.20, all
commercial (A&E) diving operations are conducted in compliance with rigorous
commercial safety standards. All Underwater Construction Team (UCT) diving
operations follow Navy procedures. Where an inspection is performed as a
joint A&E and UCT operation, the UCT will normally perform the majority of
the visual inspecting, cleaning, and data measuring. The A&E, UCT leader
and the EIC will review and agree on the type and quality of data required.
The EIC will plan, coordinate and monitor the inspection and the following
structural assessment and report. The A&E will perform the assessment and
write the report with the EIC's guidance and approval. Most parts of the
inspections are routine and performed by non-engineer divers who will note
structural areas warranting closer and/or expert scrutiny. An
engineer-diver is usually available on site to inspect and take measurements
at critical or significantly deteriorated areas.
1.4.1 Personnel Qualifications. The subjective judgement of the diver
is important because of the extensive reliance on visual examinations of
s t r u c t u r e s . Only small percentages of structural members in critical areas
are spot checked with cleaning and measurements. Accordingly, A&E's are
required to have at least one engineer diver, preferably a licensed
Professional Engineer with a degree in civil or structural engineering. All
A&E divers shall be:
a.
Trained and certified for scuba diving and surf ace air.
b. Skilled in the use of state-of-the art inspection equipment,
including a broad range of viewing, cleaning, and measuring equipment.
All military divers and government civilian divers participating in
underwater inspections shall be graduates of Navy dive schools and certified
by the Navy for SCUBA diving.
1.4.2 General Inspection. T h e f i r s t i n - w a t e r e f f o r t o f e a c h i n s p e c t i o n
is the Level I effort, which is a swim-by where divers visually examine
structural elements from the splash zone to the mudline, observing the
general conditions and noting damage and deterioration. The route of the
divers in performing the Level I effort can greatly affect the cost and
effectiveness of the inspection and is dependent on water clarity and
depth. I n v e r y c l e a r w a t e r i t i s m o s t e f f i c i e n t f o r L e v e l I i n s p e c t i o n s t o
be performed by two divers swimming transversely across pile bents at
different elevations and spaced apart at the maximum distance which allows
observance of each other. In turbid water, the divers are forced to swim
down one pile and up an adjacent pile. This is a slower procedure. In this
condition tactile sensing becomes important. During the swim-by, the
structural elements above the water line, up to and including the underside
of decking, are observed and their general physical condition documented.
Depth soundings are made at each facility and are also recorded. Because of
the wide range of conditions which can influence the rate of inspection, the
Level I rate, as shown in Table l-l, will vary roughly from 300 to 600 piles
per day or from 500 to 1500 lineal feet of bulkhead.
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