In most hyperbaric facilities the safety director title doesn't arrive with a job description. It arrives because somebody left and you were the most experienced person available. What follows is a description of what the role genuinely involves.
Who defines the role. The regulatory and standards landscape: NFPA, UHMS, and the other organizations that shape hyperbaric safety expectations. Explain that "the codes" are not a single document and that knowing which body governs which question is itself a core competency.
The functional responsibilities. Fire safety and the engineering standards behind it; equipment maintenance accountability and how ambiguity there becomes risk; infection control standards; emergency medical response planning; training standards for chamber personnel; and the documentation that evidences all of it.
The Go / No-Go decision. Introduce go / no-go items in the chamber and the formal risk assessment process behind those calls. Experienced directors are not making these decisions by instinct — there is a method, and it can be taught.
Documentation and drills. The two areas past attendees most consistently say they'll improve. Records that are retrievable and complete; drills that are frequent, realistic, and actually debriefed. Neither is glamorous; both are what an inspection or an incident review will examine.
It isn't a one-person job. The safety director owns the role, but the standard has to be shared. A director who has trained on current code while the technologists, nurses and physicians around them have not is carrying a gap they cannot personally close. Make the case for training the team on the same material at the same time — and note that this is now practical, since one course can carry credit for all of them.
Codes update; so should you. Standards are revised. A safety program built on a five-year-old understanding of the code is not a safe program, however diligent the person running it. Keep this constructive — staying current is part of the job, not evidence that anyone is failing.
Where to start. Read the current codes. Audit your own documentation before anyone else does. Assign maintenance responsibility explicitly and in writing. Establish a drill cadence. And get formal orientation to the role rather than assembling it yourself.
- Introduction to the Role of Hyperbaric Safety Director orients participants to the responsibilities defined by NFPA, UHMS and other organizations, and serves equally as a code-update review for current directors and seasoned technicians.
- Taught by Derall Garrett, CHT-ADMIN, HC-SD and Richard "Gus" B. Gustavson, MPH, RN, CHRNC, CHT, CRT, HC-SD.
- This course is a precursor to earning Hyperbaric Certified - Safety (HC-S) Certificate of Added Education.
- Next Course: LIVESTREAM · August 29–30, 2026 · $425
- 16 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ · 16 Category A CEUs · 16 CNE contact hours · 16 respiratory therapy CE hours
- Register HERE or call 561-776-6066.