Diving records and retention

You must record any diving-related injury or illness that requires any dive team member to be hospitalized for 24 hours or more. See 1910.440(a)(2) for the exact trigger and the requirement to specify the circumstances and extent of injuries or illnesses.

The record must state the circumstances of the incident and the extent of any injuries or illnesses. This is required by 1910.440(a)(2).

• Include who was involved, where and when it happened, a brief description of the event, and what injuries or illnesses resulted (and their severity).

The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, the Director of NIOSH (or their designees) can request inspection and copying of any record required by the diving standard. See 1910.440(b)(1).

• In addition, employees and designated representatives can request records under the procedures in 1910.1020(a)-(e) and (g)-(i).

Diving records must be provided to employees and designated representatives in the same manner as employee exposure or medical records under [1910.1020(a)-(e) and (g)-(i)]. See 1910.440(b)(2).

• That means follow the access, copying, and confidentiality procedures in 1910.1020.

Keep only the current safe practices manual; you do not have to keep earlier versions. See 1910.440(b)(3)(ii).

Depth-time profiles must be retained until the recording of the dive is complete, or, if there has been an incident of decompression sickness, until completion of the decompression procedure assessment. See 1910.440(b)(3)(iii).

Recordings of dives must be kept for 1 year, but if there has been an incident of decompression sickness they must be kept for 5 years. See 1910.440(b)(3)(iv).

Decompression procedure assessment evaluations must be retained for 5 years. See 1910.440(b)(3)(v).

Equipment inspections and testing records that pertain to employees must be kept either as the current entry or tag, or until the equipment is withdrawn from service. See 1910.440(b)(3)(vi).

Records of hospitalizations must be retained for 5 years. See 1910.440(b)(3)(vii).

Yes — follow the specific retention periods in 1910.440(b)(3).

• Safe practices manual (1910.420): current document only (1910.440(b)(3)(ii)).
• Depth-time profiles (1910.422): until recording completion or until decompression assessment complete if decompression sickness occurred (1910.440(b)(3)(iii)).
• Recordings of dives (1910.423): 1 year (or 5 years if decompression sickness occurred) (1910.440(b)(3)(iv)).
• Decompression procedure assessments (1910.423): 5 years (1910.440(b)(3)(v)).
• Equipment inspections/testing (1910.430): current entry or tag, or until removed from service (1910.440(b)(3)(vi)).
• Records of hospitalizations (1910.440): 5 years (1910.440(b)(3)(vii)).

If OSHA (the Assistant Secretary) or NIOSH (the Director) requests diving records, make any record or document required by the diving standard available for inspection and copying as requested. See 1910.440(b)(1) and follow the access procedures in 1910.1020.

Yes — employees and their designated representatives are entitled to obtain records and documents required by the diving standard in accordance with [1910.1020(a)-(e) and (g)-(i)]. See 1910.440(b)(2) and 1910.1020 for the procedures to request and receive those records.

You must comply with any additional recordkeeping and access requirements set out in [1910.1020], which governs employee exposure and medical records and how they are preserved and provided. See 1910.440(b)(4) and 1910.1020 for the full requirements.

Yes, records may be kept in electronic form provided you can make them available for inspection, copying, and access in the manner required by [1910.1020]. See 1910.440(b)(4) and 1910.1020 for the conditions that govern recordkeeping and transfer of records.

If decompression sickness occurs, keep the dive recordings for 5 years (instead of 1 year) and retain decompression procedure assessment evaluations for 5 years. See 1910.440(b)(3)(iv) and 1910.440(b)(3)(v).

• Also retain the depth-time profile until completion of any decompression procedure assessment as required by 1910.440(b)(3)(iii).

The employer is responsible for recording the occurrence of any diving-related injury or illness that meets the hospitalization threshold. See 1910.440(a)(2).

Yes — a designated representative can obtain records required by the diving standard, provided the request follows the procedures in [1910.1020(a)-(e) and (g)-(i)]. See 1910.440(b)(2) and 1910.1020 for how to document designation and process requests.

You must keep the current inspection entry or tag showing the latest inspection/testing status for equipment that pertains to employees; alternatively retain the records until the equipment is withdrawn from service. See 1910.440(b)(3)(vi).

• Practically, that means maintain up-to-date inspection documentation so you can show the latest condition of the equipment when requested.

Yes — you must retain records for the time periods specified in 1910.440(b)(3) regardless of whether the diver remains employed. See also 1910.1020 for any additional obligations about employee record retention and transfer.

Yes — equipment inspections and testing records which pertain to employees must be provided upon request to employees and their designated representatives as described in [1910.440(b)(2)]. See 1910.440(b)(2) and 1910.430 for the related equipment inspection requirements.