Steven M. Barsky provides
Expert Witness and
Accident Investigation services in matters involving
Recreational Scuba and Commercial Diving accidents. He started diving in 1965 and became a scuba instructor in 1970. He earned a Masters Degree (1976) in Human Factors Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and is a graduate of the Marine Diving Technician Program at Santa Barbara City College. Mr. Barsky's work has taken him to dive locations across the United States, from New York to Hawaii, and remote locations like Puerto Rico, Cozumel, and the Dominican Republic.
As an Expert Witness, Mr. Barsky has testified in cases involving both sport and commercial diving accidents. He has investigated or served as an expert in more than 100 cases involving decompression sickness, physical injury and fatalities, scuba diving training, scuba diving guided tours, scuba equipment malfunction, diving equipment donning procedures, commercial diving accidents, commercial diving equipment modification and resulting accidents, and OSHA diving violations. Mr. Barsky has testified in state courts and federal admiralty court.
As a Dive Accident Investigator, Mr. Barsky has conducted the background investigations in both cold and warm water diving situations. He has re-created accidents and directed the testing of diving equipment, and is an experienced hyperbaric chamber operator.
Background Highlights:
- Commercial diver, working in the offshore oil industry in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and South America.
- Air diving supervisor and a mixed gas saturation diver, making working dives down to 580'.
- Plumbing and installing saturation diving systems.
- A prolific writer. Published in H2Ops, Sea Technology, Offshore Magazine, Emergency, Dive Training Magazine, Undersea Biomedical Reports, Underwater Magazine, and many other publications.
- Author of 18 different diving texts, including textbooks for four different diving training agencies.
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Analysis of a Diving Accident: A Case of Decompression Sickness
In the world of commercial diving, there are numerous types of diving accidents that can occur all too easily, especially if a diving contractor or diver becomes careless. However, in a mature industry such as ours, in most cases we know the pitfalls and how to avoid becoming a statistic.
Steven M. Barsky & Robert W. Christensen
This book is for for anyone who is considering a career in commercial diving. It’s a no-nonsense exploration of the fascinating world of the professional diver, that tells the straight facts, both good and bad, about what you can expect in this challenging field.
Steven M. Barsky & Tom Neuman, MD
This is a must read for anyone who investigates recreational, technical, professional, or commercial diving accidents. This book explores the human interactions that must take place when a diving accident is investigated.
