At various periods, the lack of detailed information on the development and application of the pearl industry dive protocols has resulted in criticism of the industry's occupation health and safety performance from Coroners, Unions, Government, Statutory Organisations and other parties.

The review of OH&S processes and finalisation of the drift dive research will present a cogent, defensive argument of the Industry's safe diving practices. This will place Industry in a better position to negate the need for future legislative or Industrial Relations initiatives by responsible departments and bodies because they will be better informed regarding pearling industry occupational health & safety standards.

The diving systems and protocols developed by the pearling industry would be applicable to similar diving industries. Without a review and documentation of the process by which they were developed and the results, it could limit those industries ability to adopt and develop their own appropriate economic and efficient systems of safe diving.

This review will also constitute an element of the required documentation for Worksafe WA to consider, examine and gazette a Pearling Industry Code of Practice. This Review will also contribute to the consistency of OH&S across WA fisheries.

There is a crucial need for an objective, factual measure of the safety being achieved by the pearling industry. The drift dive database was the tool used for this measurment, however it has become dysfunctional and requires upgrading to supply this measure. (This component of the proposed review comes under the State IDU Programme 5 - 'Information Systems' and Strategy 5.2 - ' Maintain a database of relevant information, and access to similar databases.'

It will also be a benchmark document by which further studies and research on divers health can refer to and build from.

Based on the Government ESD and Oceans Policies the pearling industry is currently facing several significant concerns. These include the need to:

- demonstrate objectively that pearling activities have minimal, if any, adverse ecological impact on the marine environment.
- identify challenges and threats to the fishery's continued variability from an ESD perspective
- demonstrate objectively that the fishery is environmentally sustainable
- obtain broad ecological information to assist the industry in identifying what environmental characteristics are key elements of successful pearl farming; and
- identify what areas of research are required to substantiate the pearling industry's claim of ongoing ESD.