Berkshire coroner's safety concerns after diver's death
A coroner expressed concern about some divers' level of training and their awareness of medical requirements after a man who failed a medical later later died during an exercise.
Kevin Lapwood, 63, died after getting into difficulty while acting as a volunteer safety diver at Wraysbury Dive Centre in Berkshire in February 2022.
He had failed a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) medical in October 2021 but had no medical examination after that.
Berkshire's senior coroner Heidi Connor recorded a conclusion of misadventure and said Lapwood's causes of death included immersion pulmonary oedema (IPO), a condition in which fluid builds up in the lungs while in water.
Other causes of death were hypertension and coronary artery disease, she added.
Connor found Lapwood completed a health questionnaire in September 2021, in which he said he had no health issues. But just over a week later on seeing his GP, they said he had heart disease.
He then failed the medical in October 2021 with high blood pressure recorded, though he was not taking any medication for it.
Lapwood got into difficulty after entering the water and "despite efficient rescue and resuscitation efforts", he died at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough a day later, Connor said.
She wrote to the British Diving Safety Group (BDSG) and said she was "concerned" about the level of training and awareness nationally, "specifically of the medical requirements for volunteers involved in projects like [Lapwood] was".
She said she was also concerned about "the level of training and awareness around the risks of IPO for divers with high blood pressure".
Connor added: "Whilst the more common risks of hypertension will be better understood (such as heart attack and stroke), awareness of IPO appears to be less well understood."
She also called for more clarity from the HSE about guidance so it is made clearer for volunteers.
Currently, she said, it is "easily foreseeable" that a volunteer might see legislation as not relevant for them and for employed divers only.
Lapwood's inquest was held in April but Connor's report was published on Thursday.
The BDSG said it has sent its response to Connor.