STAMI-rapport nr. 8/2013. Professional divers represent an occupational group in the offshore petroleum industry which operates in especially demanding working conditions. In their working situation, divers are exposed to several factors that may have negative effects on the nervous system, lungs, hearing, and general functioning. Existing research on professional diving has mainly focused on the health-related outcomes of diving, whereas little is known about physical and psychosocial working environment of this occupational group. Hence, in order to understand how physical and psychosocial factors influence the performance, health, and well-being of professional divers there is a need for a valid and reliable survey tool that can assess the everyday working conditions for divers.
This report describes the conceptual and theoretical background of the psychological, physical, and occupation specific factors that are included in the survey questionnaire Questionnaire for diving personnel working on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The relevant factors are defined, their theoretical background is described, and empirical evidence for their associations with health and well-being is presented. In addition, scoring instructions for each of the included survey inventories are described.
The questionnaire is designed for the assessment of psychological, social, and organizational work conditions. The survey tool is developed in order to 1) assess the work environment among occupational divers, 2) investigate divers perceptions of risks and safety in their working situation, 3) examine the impact of organizational factors on safety, health, and wellbeing, and 4) assess how occupation specific factors, such as diving episodes and intervals, influence safety, health, and well-being.