The Minnesota Senate on April 10 overwhelmingly approved the Brady Aune and Joseph Anderson Safety Act (HF1355), a bipartisan bill to improve safety standards for commercial divers.
“This important bill stemmed from a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy,” Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) said. “We lost two young lives because the right safeguards weren’t in place. We cannot wait for another accident to take action. I was proud to support this bill because it adds common-sense protections that will help keep commercial divers safe and prevent another family from experiencing such an unimaginable loss.”
Joseph Anderson and Brady Aune died in separate diving incidents while working jobs that involved removing aquatic plants. In both cases, they lacked critical safety training and equipment. One boy had just 15 minutes of instruction before being sent underwater. Neither job site had the right supervision or tools to prevent the tragedies, or respond when things went wrong.
During the discussion, the Senate approved an amendment to the bill adding a list of basic, life-saving equipment that every commercial diver must have on the job. The amendment also allows divers to request additional gear depending on the conditions they face. The amendment was shaped with input from industry professionals and a certified master diver.
Required items include:
- A buoyancy control device
- A breathing gas monitoring device
- A quick-release weight system
- An audible emergency signaling device
- An illuminated dive beacon
Optional items upon diver request include:
- A depth-monitoring device
- Fins and snorkel
- Alternate air source
- Exposure protection
- Dive computer or planner
The bill passed the Senate with a bipartisan vote of 54-10. The bill will now be sent back to the House of Representatives, where they will either concur with the Senate changes or a conference committee will be created to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions.
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