Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00465:reg:7
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00465
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 7
Character Range: 1658–3222

7               Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates
(1)          This Statement of Principles is about decompression illness and death from decompression illness.
Meaning of decompression illness
(2)          For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, decompression illness:
(a)          means an injury caused by the formation of bubbles of nitrogen and other inert gases within tissues and blood vessels, as a result of a reduction in the pressure surrounding the person, and;
(b)          includes:
(i)            arterial gas embolism not due to pulmonary barotrauma; and
(ii)         decompression sickness; and
(c)          excludes:
(i)            altitude illness;
(ii)         arterial gas embolism due to pulmonary barotrauma;
(iii)       barotrauma;
(iv)        ebullism;
(v)          osteonecrosis;
(vi)        high pressure neurological syndrome/inert gas narcosis; and
(vii)     cerebrovascular accident not due to an arterial gas embolism.
Note 1: Clinical manifestation of decompression illness includes musculoskeletal, cutaneous, lymphatic, cardiopulmonary, inner ear or neurological signs or symptoms.
Note 2: Inert gases include nitrogen, argon, helium, xenon and krypton.
Death from decompression illness
(3)          For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, decompression illness, in relation to a person, includes death from a terminal event or condition that was contributed to by the person's decompression illness.
Note: terminal event is defined in the Schedule 1 – Dictionary.