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Commercial Diving and Underwater Work Risk Assessment

Commercial Diving and Underwater Work Risk Assessment

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
  • • Fully Editable MS Word & PDF Formats Included
  • • Pre-filled Content – Ready to Deploy Immediately
  • • Customisable – Easily Add Your Logo & Site Details
  • • Includes 2 Years of Free Compliance Updates

Commercial Diving and Underwater Work Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational risks associated with Commercial Diving and Underwater Work at a management level, with a structured framework for planning, governance, and system-wide controls. This Risk Assessment supports executive Due Diligence, aligns with WHS legislation, and helps protect your business from regulatory breaches and operational liability.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • WHS Governance & Diving Management System: Assessment of board and senior management responsibilities, diving safety policy, documented procedures, and integration of diving activities into the broader WHS management system.
  • Legal Compliance & Regulatory Obligations: Management of compliance with WHS legislation, commercial diving regulations, Approved Codes of Practice, and industry standards applicable to underwater work.
  • Competency, Licensing & Fitness to Dive: Controls for diver qualifications, licensing, medical fitness, training programs, refresher training, and verification of competency for all diving and support personnel.
  • Dive Planning, Risk Assessment & Job Hazard Analysis: Protocols for pre-dive planning, site-specific risk assessments, JHAs, dive plans, and authorisation processes for routine and non‑routine underwater tasks.
  • Diving Equipment, Plant & Maintenance Systems: Management of selection, inspection, testing, maintenance and retirement of diving gear, compressors, umbilicals, tools and associated plant used in underwater operations.
  • Breathing Gas Quality, Supply & Decompression Management: Controls for gas quality assurance, storage, supply continuity, decompression procedures, dive tables, and use of chambers or other decompression systems.
  • Vessel Operations, Navigation & Site Access: Assessment of vessel suitability, crew competency, navigation and positioning, transfer to and from the water, and safe access to offshore, inshore and restricted sites.
  • Environmental & Site Condition Management: Systems for monitoring and controlling risks from weather, tides, currents, water temperature, visibility, entanglement hazards and seabed conditions.
  • Marine Life & Biological Hazard Controls: Protocols for identifying and managing exposure to dangerous marine species, biofouling, waterborne pathogens and other biological risks.
  • Confined, Overhead & Under-Structure Diving: Assessment of specialised risks when working under wharves, jetties, piles and other overhead environments, including entrapment, restricted egress and visibility controls.
  • Task-Specific Underwater Operations: Management of operational risks for activities such as abalone harvesting, salvage, grouting, cleaning, cutting, welding, inspection, sampling and construction-related diving work.
  • Communications, Monitoring & Supervision: Controls for diver-to-surface and diver-to-diver communications, continuous monitoring, dive logs, and supervision arrangements including Dive Supervisor responsibilities.
  • Fatigue, Workload & Psychosocial Risk Management: Systems for managing shift lengths, repetitive diving, remote work, isolation, mental health, and workload-related stressors affecting diving teams.
  • Emergency Preparedness, Medical Response & Rescue: Planning for dive emergencies, lost diver scenarios, DCI, equipment failure, evacuation, first aid, oxygen administration and coordination with external emergency services.
  • Incident Reporting, Investigation & Continuous Improvement: Processes for reporting near misses and incidents, conducting investigations, implementing corrective actions, and auditing diving operations for ongoing improvement.
  • Documentation, Records & Permit Interfaces: Management of dive records, medicals, training, equipment logs, permits to work, and alignment with other organisational systems such as marine, construction and environmental management.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for Business Owners, Diving Contractors, Project Managers and Safety Managers responsible for planning, approving and overseeing Commercial Diving and Underwater Work operations.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. WHS Governance, Legal Compliance & Diving Management System
  • • Absence of a documented diving health and safety management system covering all commercial diving and underwater work
  • • Failure to identify and comply with WHS Act 2011, WHS Regulations and AS/NZS 2299 series for occupational diving operations
  • • Unclear roles, responsibilities and authority for Diving Supervisor, Dive Coordinator and PCBU officers
  • • Inadequate consultation with divers, tenders and vessel crew on WHS matters
  • • No formal process for reviewing diving safety performance, incidents and near misses
  • • Inadequate integration of diving operations into the broader organisational WHS management system
  • • Lack of documented risk assessments for specialised tasks such as abalone diving, grouting under jetties, marine salvage and marine biology sampling
  • • Ineffective contractor and subcontractor management for shared diving worksites
  • • Poor document control leading to use of out-of-date procedures, decompression tables or emergency plans
2. Competency, Licensing, Training & Fitness to Dive
  • • Use of divers, supervisors or tenders without appropriate commercial diving qualifications, endorsements or tickets
  • • Inadequate specialised training for abalone diving, marine salvage, marine biology sampling, confined space diving and grouting under jetties
  • • Lack of documented competency assessment and verification of currency for diving and emergency skills
  • • Insufficient training in recognition and management of decompression illness, barotrauma and marine stinger exposures
  • • Inadequate understanding of WHS duties, stop-work authority and reporting obligations amongst dive team members
  • • Failure to ensure ongoing fitness to dive including medical conditions, medications, fatigue and psychological fitness
  • • No system for tracking and limiting cumulative diving exposure, repetitive dives and surface intervals
  • • Inadequate induction for new or visiting scientific divers, commercial abalone divers and salvage crews onto company systems
3. Dive Planning, Risk Assessment & Job Hazard Analysis
  • • Diving operations commenced without a formal dive plan, risk assessment or job hazard analysis for the specific worksite and task
  • • Failure to consider site-specific hazards such as currents, visibility, weather, vessel traffic, marine life, depth, overhead environments and entrapment risks
  • • Inadequate planning for specialist work including abalone diving zones, grouting under jetties, marine salvage lifts and biological sampling in sensitive habitats
  • • Poor coordination of simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) such as vessel movements, lifting operations, pile driving or dredging near divers
  • • Lack of contingency planning for changes in environmental conditions, task scope or equipment failure
  • • Overly optimistic time estimates leading to rushed activities and inadequate decompression or rest periods
  • • Insufficient assessment of risks when diving in confined areas, inside structures or under wharves and jetties
  • • Failure to consider contamination risks from sewer outfalls, industrial discharges or turbidity affecting visibility and breathing gas quality
4. Diving Equipment, Plant, Inspection & Maintenance Systems
  • • Failure of critical life-support equipment such as regulators, umbilicals, helmets, full-face masks or buoyancy systems due to poor maintenance
  • • Inadequate inspection and testing regime for high-pressure cylinders, compressors, gas storage and distribution systems
  • • Use of non-compliant or unsuitable equipment for depth, environment or type of work (e.g. salvage vs. scientific sampling vs. abalone diving)
  • • Lack of redundancy in breathing gas supply and communications for deeper, complex or confined area dives
  • • Uncontrolled modifications or repairs to diving plant and equipment not undertaken by competent persons
  • • Incomplete or inaccurate maintenance records for life-support and lifting systems used underwater
  • • Use of damaged or inappropriate tools and grouting equipment under jetties leading to entanglement, hydraulic injection or crush hazards
  • • Failure to account for electrical safety of underwater tools and lighting, including bonding, isolation and RCD protection
5. Breathing Gas Quality, Supply Management & Decompression Systems
  • • Contaminated breathing gas due to poor compressor intake location, inadequate filtration or lack of testing
  • • Insufficient breathing gas reserves for planned depth, duration and contingencies
  • • Incorrect gas mix selection or labelling, including nitrox or mixed gas errors
  • • Inadequate decompression planning and failure to follow approved tables or dive computer protocols
  • • Lack of systems to monitor and manage repetitive dives, surface intervals and no-decompression limits, especially for abalone divers conducting multiple short dives
  • • Absence or inadequate capacity of emergency gas supply and bailout systems, particularly in confined or overhead environments
  • • No access to appropriate recompression chamber support for the type and location of diving operations
  • • Poor record-keeping of dive profiles, gas mixes and decompression data hindering incident investigation and exposure tracking
6. Vessel Operations, Navigation & Worksite Access
  • • Collision between work vessels and divers due to poor marking, lookout or communication
  • • Unsafe boarding, transfer and access arrangements between shore, vessel and dive platform
  • • Inadequate vessel stability, anchoring or positioning systems during diving and salvage operations
  • • Poor coordination between vessel master, Diving Supervisor and deck crew regarding diver location and movements
  • • Uncontrolled interaction with other marine traffic in abalone harvest areas or busy ports and marinas
  • • Lack of systems for managing sea state, weather limits and bar crossings for dive vessels
  • • Inadequate control of lifting and lowering of equipment, salvage items or grout hoses in proximity to divers
  • • Insufficient emergency egress routes for divers working under jetties, wharves or in confined channels accessed by vessel
7. Environmental & Site Conditions (Weather, Tides, Visibility, Currents)
  • • Unexpected changes in tides, currents or swell leading to diver exhaustion, separation or entrapment
  • • Low visibility from silt, plankton blooms, stormwater, grouting activities or salvage disturbance
  • • Extreme cold or heat stress affecting diver performance and decision-making
  • • Underestimation of surge and wave action around reefs, abalone grounds and jetty pylons
  • • Failure to identify and manage hazards from overhead structures, piles, mooring lines and debris in confined sites
  • • Environmental conditions causing disorientation for divers performing precise tasks such as sampling or grouting under jetties
  • • Degraded water quality causing illness, infection or exacerbation of marine life stings and bites
8. Marine Life, Dangerous Species & Biological Hazards
  • • Contact with venomous or stinging marine animals such as box jellyfish, bluebottles, cone shells, stonefish and stingrays
  • • Bites or lacerations from fish, crustaceans, seals, sharks or other large marine animals during abalone diving, salvage or sampling
  • • Handling dangerous marine life and marine animals with stingers without proper identification or procedures
  • • Increased risk of marine life interaction in areas with baiting, fishing, aquaculture or waste discharges
  • • Biological contamination from marine organisms, biofouling, pathogens or decomposing material encountered during salvage operations
  • • Allergic reactions or anaphylaxis from stings, bites or contact with certain marine flora and fauna
  • • Lack of clear protocols for deterring or aborting work when potentially aggressive marine life are present
9. Confined, Overhead & Under-Structure Diving (Wharves, Jetties, Piles)
  • • Entrapment or entanglement under jetties, in pile clusters or in confined compartments with limited access
  • • Loss of orientation or silt-out during grouting under jetties or salvage in confined spaces leading to panic or gas over-consumption
  • • Inadequate emergency retrieval options for divers working in overhead environments or inside structures
  • • Structural instability or collapse of deteriorated piles, wharf elements or salvage targets above divers
  • • Umbilical snagging on protrusions, grouting hoses, debris or structural elements
  • • Limited communication or line-of-sight between diver and tender in confined channels or under-structure environments
  • • Insufficient assessment of atmospheric contaminants in partially enclosed spaces connected to the water
10. Task-Specific Underwater Operations (Abalone, Salvage, Grouting, Sampling)
  • • High-frequency, repetitive abalone diving leading to cumulative fatigue, decompression stress and increased risk-taking
  • • Uncontrolled lifting, rigging or movement of heavy items during marine salvage operations
  • • Pressurised grout lines and hoses under jetties posing hydraulic injection, hose whip or sudden movement hazards
  • • Damage to sensitive marine habitats during marine biology sampling or salvage activities
  • • Use of sharp tools, cutting equipment and sampling devices in proximity to diver body and umbilicals
  • • Lack of standardised methods for specimen handling, labelling and storage during marine biology sampling underwater
  • • Task-driven focus causing divers to ignore environmental changes or early symptoms of illness
11. Communications, Monitoring & Supervision of Diving Operations
  • • Inadequate real-time communication between diver, tender, Diving Supervisor and vessel master
  • • Lack of clear authority for halting operations when unsafe conditions arise
  • • Insufficient surface monitoring of dive profiles, environmental conditions and diver locations
  • • Information loss and misunderstanding during handovers between shifts or supervisors
  • • No formal process for briefing and debriefing dive teams, leading to repeated errors or missed learnings
  • • Inadequate supervision of inexperienced or trainee divers during complex underwater work
  • • Failure of communications systems without predefined backup or abort procedures
12. Fatigue, Workload, Rostering & Psychosocial Risks
  • • Extended working hours, travel and repeated dives resulting in cumulative fatigue and reduced situational awareness
  • • Commercial pressure to meet abalone quotas, salvage deadlines or project milestones leading to risk-taking
  • • Insufficient rest and recovery following physically demanding dives in cold water or strong currents
  • • Stress, anxiety or mental health impacts from high-risk diving, remote work or traumatic incidents (e.g. serious injuries, fatalities, near drownings)
  • • Inadequate management of isolation for remote diving camps or long-duration offshore work
  • • Poor communication culture where divers feel unable to report fatigue or psychosocial concerns
13. Emergency Preparedness, Medical Response & Rescue Capability
  • • Inadequate planning and resources for diver rescue in emergencies such as entrapment, unconsciousness, gas failure or marine life attack
  • • Lack of oxygen administration equipment and trained personnel on site
  • • Delayed activation of emergency services or recompression chamber due to unclear procedures or communication failures
  • • Insufficient rehearsal of emergency scenarios relevant to abalone diving, grouting under jetties, marine salvage and confined area diving
  • • Inadequate management of contaminated diver retrieval and decontamination procedures
  • • Missing or outdated emergency contact lists, site plans and evacuation routes
14. Incident Reporting, Investigation, Audit & Continuous Improvement
  • • Under-reporting of incidents, near misses and unsafe conditions in diving and underwater work
  • • Failure to identify root causes of systemic issues such as inadequate training, supervision, or equipment maintenance
  • • Lack of follow-through on corrective and preventive actions identified after diving incidents
  • • Absence of regular internal and external audits of the Diving Safety Management System
  • • Limited sharing of lessons learned across different dive teams, projects and disciplines (abalone, salvage, sampling, construction)
  • • Data not used to track trends in decompression illness, marine life injuries, equipment failures or fatigue-related issues
15. Documentation, Records, Permits & Interface with Other Systems
  • • Incomplete or inaccurate dive logs, exposure records and medical clearances
  • • Missing or invalid permits to work for activities such as hot work, confined space entry or lifting operations occurring concurrently with diving
  • • Poor integration of diving records with broader organisational WHS, quality and environmental systems
  • • Loss or unauthorised modification of critical documents such as decompression tables, emergency plans and procedures
  • • Failure to capture client requirements, marine park permits or fisheries regulations relevant to abalone and scientific sampling
  • • Difficulty demonstrating compliance to regulators due to poor record-keeping

Need to add specific hazards for your workplace?

Don't worry if a specific hazard isn't listed above. Once you purchase, simply log in to your Client Portal and add your own custom hazards at no extra cost. We take care of the hard work—creating the risk ratings and control measures for free—to ensure your document is compliant within minutes.

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
  • Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines
  • AS/NZS 4801 / ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements for implementing a systematic WHS framework.
  • AS/NZS 2299 (series): Occupational diving operations — Safety requirements for commercial diving, surface-supplied diving and related underwater work.
  • AS/NZS 1715 & 1716: Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment and performance requirements for breathing apparatus.
  • AS 3848 (series): Filling, inspection and maintenance of gas cylinders used for breathing gas supply.
  • AS/NZS 3000: Electrical installations (Wiring Rules) — For electrical safety of diving plant and associated equipment.
  • National Standard for Commercial Vessel Safety (NSCV): Requirements for vessels used as dive platforms, including stability, equipment and operational safety.
  • Safe Work Australia Codes of Practice: Including How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks, Managing the Work Environment and Facilities, Confined Spaces, and First Aid in the Workplace.
Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)
  • Comprehensive hazard identification for all activities
  • Risk rating matrix with likelihood and consequence analysis
  • Existing control measures evaluation
  • Residual risk assessment after controls
  • Hierarchy of controls recommendations
  • Action priority rankings
  • Review and monitoring requirements
  • Consultation and communication records
  • Legal compliance references
  • Sign-off and approval sections

$79.5

Safe Work Australia Aligned