Ontario Divers, DON'T MISS THIS EVENT! 3 world-class presenters, 1 low price!!

[rjkrob]

On behalf of the Ontario Underwater Council, I’d like to invite you and your diving friends to join us at “An Evening for Divers by Divers” on Thursday, April 29th, 2010, at the Canadian Air and Space Museum, 65 Carl Hall Road, Toronto, Ontario.

The evening will feature 3 renowned diving presenters, all experts in their respective fields, presenting on a range of topics certain to be of great interest and relevance to all divers:

 Dr. Frans J Cronje, CEO of Divers Alert Network (DAN) South Africa, will present on the topic of diving and the human ear entitled “NOT just another ear lecture!”
 Terry German, renowned Ontario Cave & Technical Diver, will present on the subject of his team's adventures and exploits ”Diving the wreck of the RMS Britannic”
 L. Cdr. Debbie L. Pestell, MD, Consultant in Diving and Submarine Medicine for the Canadian Forces, will present on the topic of “Diving and Drugs”

Registration will run from 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. followed by the Program from 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

To find our more information and to purchase tickets online ($20.00), please visit the “OUC News and Events” section on the OUC Home Page at Ontario Underwater Council

Thank-you and I look forward to seeing you there!

Yours in safe & enjoyable scuba diving,

Raimund J. Krob
President
Ontario Underwater Council

Landline: 416-283-0467
Cellular: 416-427-4500
E-Mail: ouc.president@underwatercouncil.com
Website: Ontario Underwater Council

OUC: Helping support and promote the sport of scuba diving in Ontario through safety, advocacy, cultural and environmental awareness, self-governance, education, and fun since 1958.

 

[roastbeef]

Hay what happened to the air program.

 

[rjkrob]

In a nutshell, we closed the program because we determined the cost of compliance to the following standards requirement "15.1.4, Samples shall be analyzed using methods that have been validated by an accredited laboratory" was financially unsupportable.

Follow-up FAQ&A

Why was it deemed financially unsupportable? We assessed the cost of having our methods validated by an accredited laboratory and found them to be virtually identical to the costs of us becoming an accredited laboratory ourselves. Either way (validation or accreditation) these costs involved significant additional capital investment (one-time costs) and significant additional operational (ongoing) costs. We then looked at factors such as overall market size, competitors, what we would have to charge for our services to recoup those additional costs, required margin, resources we would have to acquire, train, pay, etc. and we determined that it was not feasible for us to do so.

What other options did you explore? Numerous, including outsourcing our air testing services and buying wholesale air testing services from other suppliers and then reselling them to our Customers. But even the best wholesale price was almost 3 times greater than OUC's retail price, and there was insufficient margin and volume to make these options financially feasible.

Where did the standards requirement come from? From CAN-CSA-Z180.1-00 (R2005)

Who required that we meet this standards requirement? Ontario Ministry of Labour.

How could Ontario Ministry of Labour claim jurisdiction over testing of compressed breathing air for recreational scuba divers? They didn't. They claimed jurisdiction over testing of compressed breathing air for divers defined as "workers" under Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act.

How are "workers" defined under this act and who are they? The act defines a worker as “...a person who is paid to perform work or supply services...”. These workers could include commercial divers, fire-fighters, and / or scuba professionals like Instructors and Dive Masters, and any others who breathe compressed air during the course of their employment.

Why don't you just continue to provide air testing services to compressed breathing air providers who DON'T meet the definition of workers? We looked at how many of our customers fell into this category and determined that there were insufficient numbers of them to support the program.

Who are people going to get their compressed breathing air supplies tested from now that OUC's air testing program is closed? Unlike 40 years ago when OUC's air testing service was the only one in Canada, today a web-search for "compressed breathing air testing, Canada" will yield any number of accredited laboratories that provide these services.

What is OUC going to do with all of its air testing laboratory equipment? Our plans are to dispose of these assets in such a way that will yield the greatest return for OUC and OUC Members. For example, we recently sold our test bottles (13 cu. ft. pony bottles) at OUE's 2010 Scuba Swap. We plan on selling our remaining assets (Gas Chromatograph and other laboratory equipment) at a public online auction within the next month or two. Interested parties should contact ouc.safety@underwatercouncil.com