Occupational Diving Work Code of Practice
Meaning of some terms used in the code
1. Risk from certain medical conditions
2. Competence to perform occupational diving work and undertake the risk assessment process
3. Proof of competency for underwater diving work
4. Risk assessment process to be carried out for all occupational diving
5. Administration of the risk assessment process
6. Training of workers about the risk management process
7. Dive safety logs
8. Diver's log
Appendix 1 Meaning of construction diving work
Appendix 2 Construction diving work regulations
This code of practice:
- The code was made on 13 April 2005
- The code commenced on 1 May 2005
- The code was amended on 28 April 2006.
- The code expires 10 years after it commenced.
What is this code of practice about?
The purpose of the Occupational Diving Work Code of Practice is to give practical advice about ways to manage exposure to risks identified as typical when conducting occupational diving work.
Workplace health and safety obligations and the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995
The Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 (PDF, 766 KB) places obligations on certain persons to ensure workplace health and safety. Workplace health and safety is ensured when persons are free from death, injury or illness (and the risk of death, injury or illness) caused by workplaces, relevant workplace areas, work activities or plant or substances for use at a workplace. Ensuring workplace health and safety involves identifying and managing exposure to the risks at your workplace.
How can I meet my obligations?
Under the Act, there are three types of instruments to help you meet workplace health and safety obligations – regulations, ministerial notices and codes of practice.
If there is a regulation or ministerial notice about a risk, you MUST do what the regulation or notice says.
If there is a code of practice about a risk, you MUST either
- do what the code says; or
- do all of the following –
- adopt and follow another way that gives the same level of protection against the risk;
- take reasonable precautions; and
- exercise proper diligence.
If there is no regulation, ministerial notice or code of practice about a risk, you must choose an appropriate way to manage exposure to the risk and take reasonable precautions and exercise proper diligence to ensure that your obligations are met.
NOTE:
There may be additional risks at your workplace, which have not been specifically addressed in this code of practice. You are required under the Act to identify and assess these risks and ensure that control measures are implemented and reviewed to prevent or minimise exposure to these risks.
Important information about this code of practice
This code offers advice on how the occupational diving industry can make occupational diving a healthier and safer activity. The advice relates to:
- persons that conduct a business or undertaking;
- employers;
- self-employed persons; and
- workers
The occupational diving covered in this code is where a person conducting a business or undertaking, including an employer or self-employed person, conducts occupational diving as part of his or her undertaking.
Persons conducting a business or undertaking, employers and self-employed persons will from here on be collectively referred to as persons conducting a business or undertaking.
This code of practice also includes provisions from the Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 1997 in so far as they apply to the control measures outlined in this document. For clarification, these provisions are presented in boxed sections.
Last updated 1 September 2008