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What Training and Certification Do Commercial Divers Need in France?

France’s commercial divers generally need a CAH mention A in the right pressure class. Some public-works jobs add a professional title, while employers have separate training and certification duties.

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Commercial underwater work in France generally requires the diver to hold a certificat d’aptitude à l’hyperbarie (CAH) with mention A and a pressure class that covers the planned work. Certain public-works tasks also call for the professional title scaphandrier travaux publics or the competency block matching the task. Separately, the employer must provide required hyperbaric safety training and may need its own company certification.

Which personal qualification does a commercial diver need?

The CAH is the worker’s certificate for intervening in a hyperbaric environment. Under Article R. 4461-27 of the French Labour Code, only workers holding a CAH issued after the prescribed training may intervene in such an environment.

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For underwater work performed by companies subject to the company-certification rules, the relevant category is mention A. Other mentions cover different activities: mention B applies to other categories of underwater work, mention C to health-related work without immersion, and mention D to specified work without immersion. A recreational scuba qualification is not a substitute for the CAH required for professional hyperbaric work.

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The CAH states both the activity mention and pressure class. The class sets the maximum relative pressure at which the holder may work:

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CAH pressure class Maximum relative pressure
Class 0 Up to 1,200 hPa
Class I Up to 3,000 hPa
Class II Up to 5,000 hPa
Class III Above 5,000 hPa

The diver must not work beyond the pressure class recorded on the certificate. The applicable requirements are set out in Article R. 4461-1 of the Labour Code.

What training is required, and who provides it?

CAH training must correspond to the work category and pressure class sought. For most CAH courses, training providers must be certified by an accredited certification body. The Code provides a separate habilitation regime for certain mention B training; that exception should not be assumed to apply to mention A. See Article R. 4461-27 and Article R. 4461-24.

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The employer must also ensure a worker has completed hyperbaric safety training before assigning them to a position that may expose them to hyperbaric risk. This is a separate workplace requirement, not another name for the CAH. The training outcomes specified by the 12 December 2016 order are to:

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  • Understand the theoretical foundations of hyperbaric risk.
  • Integrate that risk into occupational risk-prevention processes.
  • Organize and carry out hyperbaric operations safely.

When is the scaphandrier travaux publics title also needed?

For specified public-works underwater activities, the Labour Code names the professional title scaphandrier travaux publics or the competency certificate corresponding to the activity. This title is distinct from the CAH: it addresses public-works competencies and does not replace the hyperbaric certificate. The requirement is described in Article R. 4461-27.

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The revised title pathway, under the order in force from 12 December 2025, requires a valid CAH mention A, class 2 before training begins and throughout the examination. Its three competency blocks cover:

  1. Surveying and positioning submerged structures.
  2. Building and maintaining submerged masonry networks and structures.
  3. Assembling and dismantling submerged metal structures.

The complete title’s stated minimum training schedule is 455 hours, as set out in the revised title order. The order also requires enhanced individual health monitoring before the company training period. It does not, by itself, establish every individual medical-fitness criterion or all admission conditions; candidates should confirm those details with the training centre and the relevant occupational-health professionals.

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Which jobs require the employer’s company certification?

The employer’s certification is separate from the diver’s CAH and any applicable professional title. It attests to the company’s capacity to organize and maintain safe hyperbaric work; it does not qualify an individual diver. The official activity list is in the Labour Code’s mention A certification annex.

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Listed examples include:

  • Rock removal, geotechnical drilling or coring, and explosive-ordnance clearance.
  • Construction or repair underwater, and handling or moving objects weighing more than 50 kg.
  • Work on buried or weighted cables and pipes, or on commercial vessels.
  • Work on dams and industrial, nuclear, medical or food-processing installations.
  • Work in submerged structures such as sewers, treatment plants, ducts, tunnels or storage structures.

The list also captures certain other tasks where the environment creates danger requiring particular protective measures. It excludes specified underwater archaeological research concerning cultural property recognized by the Ministry of Culture, or historical or prehistoric sites. That is a bounded exclusion, not a general exemption for all archaeological or scientific diving.

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Separate rules govern how in-water mention A work is performed, including methods and breathing gases; see the official annex and related provisions.

How to check the right route for a specific job

  1. Classify the actual task. Identify the work being done, the employer and worksite, and whether the activity falls within the mention A company-certification list. The legal classification turns on the work and its hazards, not the job’s marketing label.
  2. Match the CAH to the activity and pressure. Confirm that the diver’s mention and pressure class cover the planned operation.
  3. Check public-works competencies. Determine whether the task requires the full scaphandrier travaux publics title or a corresponding competency block.
  4. Verify training and health conditions. Check that the training provider meets the applicable requirements and, for the title pathway, that the CAH class 2 remains valid through training and examination. Confirm job-specific occupational-health requirements with the training centre and occupational-health professionals.
  5. Confirm the employer’s duties. Establish whether company certification applies and what additional worksite-specific prevention measures are needed.

The framework above is for France. The cited rules do not establish how every foreign qualification is recognized in practice, so a diver with a qualification issued elsewhere should confirm its acceptance for the specific job with the employer and competent French authorities before assignment.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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