Product Overview

Summary: This Contaminated Water Diving Safe Operating Procedure provides a clear, defensible framework for planning and conducting diving operations in polluted or potentially hazardous water environments. It supports Australian businesses to manage complex WHS risks, protect divers from serious illness or injury, and demonstrate due diligence when working in sewers, stormwater, industrial effluent, floodwater or other contaminated aquatic settings.

Diving in contaminated water presents a unique combination of hazards that go well beyond those of standard commercial diving. Biological agents, chemicals, hydrocarbons, heavy metals, sharps, entanglement risks and poor visibility can all converge in a single job, significantly increasing the likelihood and consequence of harm if the work is not tightly controlled. This Contaminated Water Diving Safe Operating Procedure sets out a structured, step‑by‑step approach for assessing contamination, selecting appropriate diving systems, implementing robust decontamination processes, and managing health monitoring for divers before and after exposure.

Developed for the Australian regulatory environment, the SOP helps organisations meet their primary duty of care under WHS legislation while maintaining operational efficiency. It clarifies roles and responsibilities between the Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU), diving supervisor, divers, standby personnel and surface support. By standardising planning, PPE selection, communication protocols, emergency response and post‑dive decontamination, this procedure reduces ambiguity on site, supports consistent training, and provides documented evidence of risk management that can withstand regulator or client scrutiny.

Whether you are working in sewerage systems, stormwater networks, industrial discharge ponds, contaminated marinas, flood‑impacted infrastructure or environmental clean‑up operations, this SOP gives your team a practical, field‑ready framework. It integrates risk assessment, hygiene controls and diving best practice into a single, cohesive document, helping you protect worker health, safeguard reputation and keep projects moving safely in some of the most challenging aquatic environments.

Key Benefits

• Ensure contaminated water diving operations are planned and executed in line with Australian WHS legislation and commercial diving guidance.
• Reduce the risk of diver exposure to biological, chemical and physical contaminants through structured controls and mandatory decontamination procedures.
• Standardise how contaminated water jobs are assessed, authorised, briefed and documented across projects, teams and contractors.
• Strengthen incident preparedness by defining clear emergency, exposure and medical response protocols specific to contaminated water environments.
• Provide clear, defensible documentation that supports regulatory compliance, client assurance and insurance requirements.

Who is this for?

• Commercial Diving Supervisors
• Dive Contractors and Business Owners
• WHS Managers and Advisors
• Marine Construction Project Managers
• Water Utility Operations Managers
• Local Government Infrastructure Managers
• Emergency Services and Search & Rescue Team Leaders
• Environmental Remediation Project Managers
• Harbour and Port Authority Operations Managers

Hazards Addressed

• Exposure to biological contaminants (sewage, bacteria, viruses, parasites)
• Exposure to chemical contaminants (hydrocarbons, solvents, industrial effluent, heavy metals)
• Dermal absorption or ingestion of hazardous substances through damaged or inadequate PPE
• Needlestick and sharps injuries from submerged medical waste or debris
• Respiratory exposure from off‑gassing contaminants and disinfection chemicals during decontamination
• Heat stress and fatigue due to encapsulating dry suits and heavy PPE in warm conditions
• Cold stress and hypothermia in cold contaminated water environments
• Restricted vision and entanglement in weed, debris, nets, cables or infrastructure
• Slip, trip and fall hazards on contaminated shorelines, pontoons and work platforms
• Psychological stress and reduced situational awareness due to low visibility and confined spaces
• Cross‑contamination of vehicles, vessels, equipment and other work areas after dives
• Delayed onset illness from infectious disease or chemical exposure
• Failure of life support systems due to contamination, corrosion or fouling

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose, Scope and Application
• 2.0 Definitions and Classification of Contaminated Water
• 3.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Competency Requirements
• 4.0 Pre‑Job Planning and Approval Process
• 5.0 Site Assessment, Water Sampling and Risk Evaluation
• 6.0 Selection of Diving Method, Life Support and Support Craft
• 7.0 Personal Protective Equipment (Dry Suits, Gloves, Hoods, Respiratory Protection)
• 8.0 Contamination Control Hierarchy and Exposure Limits
• 9.0 Pre‑Dive Checks, Briefings and Communication Protocols
• 10.0 Step‑by‑Step Contaminated Water Diving Procedure
• 11.0 Decontamination Procedures for Divers, PPE and Equipment
• 12.0 Waste Management, Run‑off Control and Environmental Protection
• 13.0 Health Monitoring, Vaccinations and Medical Clearance
• 14.0 Emergency Procedures (Exposure, Suit Breach, Illness, Rescue and Evacuation)
• 15.0 Incident Reporting, Notifiable Incidents and Regulator Liaison
• 16.0 Training, Induction and Competency Verification
• 17.0 Recordkeeping, Dive Logs and Decontamination Registers
• 18.0 Review, Audit and Continuous Improvement of the SOP

Legislation & References

• Model Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and corresponding state and territory WHS Acts
• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 – High Risk Work and Diving Work provisions
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the Risks of Plant in the Workplace (for diving and decontamination equipment)
• AS/NZS 2299.1:2007 Occupational diving operations – Standard operational practice
• AS/NZS 1715:2009 Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment
• AS/NZS 1716:2012 Respiratory protective devices
• AS/NZS 4501.1:2008 Occupational protective clothing
• Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZG)
• State and territory public health regulations relating to sewage, effluent and infectious disease control