The Divers Alert Network announced this week that Francois Burman, CEO of DAN South Africa, has been appointed as the international organization’s Director of Diving and Hyperbaric Safety.
In his new job, Burman will emphasize developing and promoting programs to improve safety through risk awareness and mitigation, reducing liabilities, preventative training, and prompting appropriate response to safety violations and injuries.
An engineer by training, Burman helped establish the first private hyperbaric oxygen therapy company in Southern Africa in the mid-1990s. He has been with DAN South Africa since 1997, starting out as operations director before rising to become country CEO.
DAN International President and CEO Bill Ziefle said:
“Francois’ contributions within the dive industry, as well as the DAN organization, are significant and he brings an extensive set of skills to this position. His expertise in developing safety and risk mitigation protocols specific to the dive community is unparalleled. We are excited to have him aboard to help expand our resources and take our programs to the next level.”
Burman also holds a Master of Science degree in Medical Sciences (Baromedical Sciences) from the University of Stellenbosch.
