Sicurezza delle attività subacquee, approvata la legge: il medico subacqueo diventa la figura di riferimento per la tutela della salute

New law on diving safety: diving doctors become the key figures in health protection m.nardini Tue, 02/03/2026 - 09:26 The Italian Parliament has approved the law on diving safety (Law 9 of January 26, 2026), which outlines a comprehensive framework for the governance of diving, defining principles, responsibilities, and coordination tools between the administrations involved. This is an important turning point, introducing for the first time in Italy legislation for the safety of diving and hyperbaric activities.

The new law introduces the figure of the “diving doctor” as the competent doctor of reference for the sector, replacing the occupational doctor provided for by Legislative Decree 81/2008. The text approved by Parliament expressly includes the Piergiorgio Data Level II Master s Degree in Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, such as that organized by the Sant Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa in collaboration with the Institute of Clinical Physiology of the National Research Council in Pisa, among the required educational qualifications. “With the approval of the law, possession of a Master s degree such as ours becomes an essential educational requirement for access to the role of physician dedicated to protecting the health of workers and underwater operators,” comments Vincenzo Lionetti, associate professor of Anesthesiology at the “Health Science” Interdisciplinary Research Center of the Sant Anna School and director of the “Piergiorgio Data” Master s program.Prof. Lionetti, from the point of view of worker safety and protection, what will actually change with the entry into force of the new law? The main change is that the safety of underwater workers is no longer derived by analogy from general legislation, but is regulated by specific and uniform standards for the entire sector. The law introduces dedicated health surveillance with stringent eligibility criteria, a personal computerized logbook that tracks training and dives, technical rules defined by decree, and a specific penalty system. For those who work in underwater and hyperbaric environments, this means finally having a regulatory framework based on the real risks of the profession.“Why does the introduction of a comprehensive governance framework for the underwater sector represent a paradigm shift from the past?”Until now, the underwater sector was regulated by fragmented maritime, environmental, labor, defense, and civil protection regulations, without any comprehensive coordination. Law 9 of January 26 represents a paradigm shift because it recognizes the ‘underwater dimension’ as an area of national strategic interest and introduces dedicated governance through the establishment of the Agency for the Safety of Underwater Activities, which becomes the technical-scientific and regulatory reference point for the sector. The law integrates worker safety, environmental protection, infrastructure, civil protection, and technological innovation, establishing for the first time a coherent public policy for what happens below the sea surface. Having been involved in underwater and hyperbaric safety for over twenty years, we can only welcome this step forward.The regulatory definition of the role of “diving doctor” marks an important step forward: what guarantees does it introduce for the safety of operators and for the uniformity of fitness assessments? The regulatory definition of the role of ‘diving doctor’ marks an important step because it finally establishes which professionals can certify fitness for diving and hyperbaric activities. The text approved by Parliament includes, among the required qualifications, a Level II Master s Degree in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine with at least three years of professional experience. It is important to note that, at present, there are no university specialization schools in Swimming and Underwater Medicine in Italy, so the Level II Master s Degree, such as the “Piergiorgio Data” Master s Degree in Pisa, is currently the only university academic qualification formally required by law for the definition of a diving doctor. This choice guarantees two effects: uniformity in the assessment of suitability, overcoming the previous variability, and greater protection for operators, because certification is entrusted to professionals with specific skills in this sector.Looking to the future, what opportunities does this law offer, including at European and international level? The law opens up at least three areas of opportunity. On a professional and economic level, the introduction of clear standards, a register of operators, criteria for the recognition of foreign qualifications, and a reference agency makes the Italian sector more transparent, reliable, and therefore competitive, even for major international players operating in the maritime, energy, infrastructure, and research fields. From a European perspective, having a comprehensive regulatory framework promotes alignment with countries that have long recognized the specific nature of underwater work, facilitating the comparability of training courses, the recognition of skills, and participation in European programs dedicated to safety, the marine environment, and underwater infrastructure. On the scientific and technological front, the explicit reference to research, innovation, and monitoring systems creates space for new joint projects between universities, public bodies, industry, and international organizations, with underwater and hyperbaric medicine at the center of the definition of risk profiles and mitigation strategies. This last aspect enhances the research work carried out by the professors of the ‘Piergiorgio Data’ Master s program since 2005 and encourages the writing of new significant pages in the field of innovation and health in extreme environments such as underwater and, in perspective, space. Following the approval of the law, are training courses such as the Level II Master s Degree in Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine becoming increasingly important and central to the training of underwater doctors? Absolutely yes, and the new law explicitly recognizes this. This means that established courses such as our Master s degree are no longer a higher education qualification for the few, but are becoming a recognized training standard for those who have to protect the health of workers and underwater operators. Not to mention that the “Piergiorgio Data” Master s Degree organized by the Sant Anna School in collaboration with the Institute of Clinical Physiology of the CNR in Pisa has been the only one in Italy for over twenty years to offer training consistent with the European guidelines developed jointly by the Joint Medical Subcommittee of the European Committee for Hyperbaric Medicine (ECHM) and the European Diving Technology Committee (EDTC). It is also the only Italian Master s degree internationally certified by the Diving Medical Advisory Committee (DMAC) and EDTCmed, which recognize it as a Level I (medical assessment of divers) and Level IID (medical management of diving accidents and pathologies) course in Underwater Medicine. Since 2015, the Master s degree has also been recognized by the European College of Baromedicine (ECB) as a Level IIH Hyperbaric Medicine course. To date, levels IID and IIH represent the highest levels of competence recognized in Europe for Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine. This makes the “Piergiorgio Data” Master s program a solid training platform, unique in the national and international scene, for preparing those doctors who, under the new regulatory framework, will be called upon to carry out fitness assessments, health surveillance, and clinical management in diving and hyperbaric contexts. Inserisci negli avvisi in Homepage Spento Data pubblicazione Tue, 02/03/2026 - 10:00 Soggetto University and Society Health Science Tematiche Health Immagini Full Size Version of Image Vincenzo Lionetti.jpg Titolo card New law on diving safety: diving doctors become the key figures in health protection Sommario Interview with Prof. Vincenzo Lionetti: “The law integrates worker safety, environmental protection, infrastructure, civil protection, and technological innovation, establishing for the first time a coherent public policy for what happens below the sea surface.”

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