Working underwater has its own inherent risks and people involved with underwater construction need to be aware of what they are getting into from the very start.  When speaking of the risks involved in underwater works, it must be emphasized that a lot of it is unseen and cannot be measured out. Often with known risks, it is possible to take precautions and this simply isn’t possible with risks that cannot be quantified most of the time.

It must be said that all construction activity involves some manner of risks but it is more pronounced in underwater construction projects as the quantum of risks are completely unknown most of the time. Insurers and underwriters often tend to have a tough time covering projects that are with unknown risks or variable risks and this adds to the cost of insuring workers and equipment during an underwater construction.

The main risks involved with underwater construction

●       Shifting water bodies

As the very term indicates, underwater construction is nothing but the construction activity that is predominantly under the water. Often with large bodies of water, it is possible that there are currents and tides that are totally unpredictable. This danger comes inherent with the work and most people tend to be prepared for the worst in all situations. 

Of particular mention must be made when working in areas that are subject to sudden changes in the water currents. Despite the best predictive methods, it is not possible to understand the behavior of the movement of water at any time and past experiences often tend to be little help in a lot of the circumstances.

●       Poor construction material

There is no such thing as a universal standard for construction materials and more so for undertaking underwater works. Thus not only does the quality of the finished project depend on how quality material is procured but often the safety of the people working on the project is dependent on the kind and quality of work material that is being procured at any particular time.

One of the prime instruments used in ensuring that only the best materials are used for the construction is to employ good quality control over what is being procured for the works. But then unless sufficient care is taken to source out the best that could be bought, often the work suffers in delivery.

●       Time

In most construction works and not just the underwater ones, time is a huge factor to consider. Despite the best of planning and the best of project managers, often it has been found that time is never enough to finish most projects underwater. In keeping with this factor, large projects and the more risky projects rely on top quality manpower to keep the works within the schedule and under the budgeted costs.

Some of the massive underwater construction works tend to use very sophisticated monitoring and check mechanism to ensure that the progress of the work is within time and within the levels of risk laid out by the team.  Often accidents happen when corners are cut to save time on an already late project and this is something that the Commercial Diver Melbourne tends to keep in mind all the time. 

●       The right equipment

It is critical for any project to use the correct equipment as far as possible. Often project managers tend to improvise in the utilization of tools and equipment as the actual implement might be hard to come by or is too expensive to use. This sort of activity must be avoided at all times. The sums of money saved in improvising could be all lost if some sort of accident were to happen at the worksite.

There are a lot of places in the world where the safety of the workers are compromised so as to gain some financial benefit from the work.  Strict regulatory frame works does ensure that this sort of practice is kept to a minimum as far as possible.

Conclusion

It would be wrong to attribute the risks in underwater construction to a single or a couple of factors. The element of risk must be factored in as a whole into a project and not be taken as a piece meal affair most of the time. With the experienced project managers, they tend to put the safety of people and the equipment at the forefront of projects no matter the cost involved.

Managing underwater construction projects is not the easiest of affairs but a careful understanding of the risks involved in the construction work would help the planners leave to chance and risk to a bare minimum most of the time. Taking out insurance policies does help to mitigate risk but it is better to ensure that accidents do not happen at all rather than to try to rectify a mishap even under insurance.